Marlowe
Marlowe was the 523rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 575 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 617 places. More babies were named Marlowe in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning lake remnant hill? (English place name Marlow) · Old English
Say it MAR-loh /ˈmɑrloʊ/
- Rank in 2025
- #523 girls, up 404 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 575girls
- Girls and boys
- 92% girls, 8% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025575 babies
- Total since 1880
- 6,467babies recorded
What does the name Marlowe mean?
Marlowe is an English habitational surname from the place name Marlow, according to Wiktionary. Wiktionary explains Marlow as Old English mere, lake or pool, plus hlǣw, hill or mound. One Marlow is a town on the Thames in Buckinghamshire, and Wiktionary lists others in Herefordshire and Australia. As a given name it has been used in the US since the 1910s and has risen recently for girls.
mere (Old English, “lake, pool”)hlǣw (Old English, “hill, mound”)
How sure is this? Probable. Wiktionary only; the second element is given as 'hill' there.
See also: English names, names that mean water, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Marlowe' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Marlow' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Marlowe popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #523 | #3,286 | 575 | 36 |
| 2020 | #927 | #4,646 | 279 | 21 |
| 2010 | #2,775 | #5,644 | 64 | 16 |
| 2000 | #7,032 | #7,930 | 15 | 8 |
| 1990 | #8,957 | #6,199 | 9 | 8 |
| 1980 | #8,706 | — | 7 | — |
| 1970 | #4,666 | #1,831 | 12 | 24 |
| 1960 | — | #2,492 | — | 12 |
| 1950 | #5,085 | #2,390 | 6 | 11 |
| 1940 | #4,800 | #1,865 | 5 | 15 |
| 1930 | #5,003 | #1,634 | 5 | 21 |
| 1920 | — | #2,021 | — | 17 |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Marlowe, counting every spelling?
Marlowe is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #427 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #523 for Marlowe on its own. Together these spellings went to 774 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marlowe | 575 | #523 | 2,048 |
| Marlow | 199 | #1,167 | 813 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Marlowe?
575 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Marlowe (0.16 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Marlowe born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 15 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Marlowe.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Marlowe?
About 4,700 people born in the US named Marlowe are alive today, with a median age of 7; half are between 3 and 11. That makes Marlowe a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Marlowe by state
How common Marlowe was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Colorado (2.8×), Iowa (2.6×), Oregon (2.2×), Wisconsin (2.1×), Minnesota (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Louisiana, Maryland, South Carolina.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Marlowe: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Marlowe, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Marlowe · Sibling names for Marlowe
Questions about the name Marlowe
What does Marlowe mean?
Marlowe means “lake remnant hill? (English place name Marlow)” (Old English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Marlowe?
Marlowe was the 523rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 575 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 617 places. More babies were named Marlowe in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Marlowe a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 92% girls, 8% boys given the name Marlowe in the US.
Where is Marlowe most popular?
In 2021–2025, Marlowe was most common in Colorado (0.71 per 1,000 girls), followed by Iowa and Alaska.