Marylyn
Marylyn was the 12716th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 7 babies. Its best year was 1936, when it ranked 418th with 238 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 120 places. More babies were named Marylyn in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Marilyn) blend of Mary and Lynn · English
- Rank in 2025
- #12,716 girls, up 1,790 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 7girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1936238 babies
- Total since 1880
- 3,336babies recorded
What does the name Marylyn mean?
Marylyn is a spelling of Marilyn, pronounced the same way, so it shares Marilyn's meaning and origin.
Marilyn is a 20th-century blend of Mary and Lynn, according to Wiktionary. Mary goes back to Hebrew Miryam, whose meaning DMNES calls uncertain. Lynn is a separate name. Marilyn was most common in the US in the 1930s and 1940s, and the actress Marilyn Monroe gave it lasting fame; Wiktionary notes that Scottish hillwalkers even call a class of hills "Marilyns" as a pun on her name.
Mary (English, “from Hebrew Miryam (uncertain)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Coinage from two names; Mary's own origin is uncertain (DMNES).
Related names: Marylin, Marilynn, Mary, Lynn.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Marilyn' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Mary', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Marylyn popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #12,716 | 7 |
| 2020 | #14,506 | 6 |
| 2010 | #16,268 | 6 |
| 2000 | #10,438 | 9 |
| 1990 | #5,447 | 17 |
| 1980 | #6,172 | 11 |
| 1970 | #3,383 | 19 |
| 1960 | #2,485 | 24 |
| 1950 | #1,230 | 57 |
| 1940 | #801 | 79 |
| 1930 | #952 | 59 |
| 1920 | #2,540 | 14 |
| 1910 | #2,654 | 5 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Marylyn, counting every spelling?
Marylyn is a spelling of Marilyn, a name family that ranked #678 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #12,716 for Marylyn on its own. Together these spellings went to 420 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marilyn | 356 | #761 | 2,002 |
| Marilynn | 41 | #3,685 | 228 |
| Marylynn | 16 | #7,024 | 62 |
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 Marylyn?
7 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Marylyn (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Marylyn 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 1,224 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Marylyn.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Marylyn?
About 1,700 people born in the US named Marylyn are alive today, with a median age of 72; half are between 48 and 82. That makes Marylyn a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Marylyn by state
How common Marylyn was among girls born in each state in 1934–1938, around its peak. It is notably more common than nationally in Iowa (1.9×), Illinois (1.6×), New York (1.6×). In 34 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Marylyn: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Marylyn, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Marylyn
What does Marylyn mean?
Marylyn is a spelling of Marilyn, usually explained as “blend of Mary and Lynn”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Marylyn?
Marylyn was the 12716th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 7 babies. Its best year was 1936, when it ranked 418th with 238 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 120 places. More babies were named Marylyn in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Is Marylyn a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Marylyn in the US.
Where was Marylyn most popular?
In 1934–1938, Marylyn was most common in Iowa (0.23 per 1,000 girls), followed by Illinois and New York.