Boys' name · peaked in 1972
Marlon name popularity since 1925
31,157 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Marlon (1.0% girls, 99.0% boys). Half of them were born in 1985 or earlier, so the typical Marlon is about 41 years old in 2026. Marlon peaked in 1972 as the #217 name for boys, and it was outside the top 1,000 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 31,157
- Named Marlon, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- Not top 1,000
- #1,105 for boys in 2025
- Girls / boys
- 99.0% boys
- 327 girls · 30,830 boys
- Most popular in
- Louisiana
- 2.89× its national share
Peak year is the year Marlon made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Marlon births per year, 1925–2025
1972 was the biggest year for Marlon both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1968 and 1973, Marlon became 4.3× more common, from 1 in 7,400 baby boys to 1 in 1,720.
- Steepest fall: Between 1976 and 1981, its share of baby boys fell by 49%, from 1 in 2,110 to 1 in 4,180.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Marlon's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Marlon.
Decade by decade
Babies named Marlon in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 111 | – |
| 1930s | 10 | 245 | #1,218 |
| 1940s | 7 | 303 | #1,220 |
| 1950s | 48 | 2,226 | #344 |
| 1960s | 45 | 2,803 | #480 |
| 1970s | 121 | 7,066 | #297 |
| 1980s | 60 | 4,528 | #361 |
| 1990s | 30 | 4,551 | #488 |
| 2000s | 6 | 4,567 | #514 |
| 2010s | 0 | 3,138 | #819 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 1,292 | #1,105 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
29.1% of babies named Marlon from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen X years (1965–1980). The full split by generation:
Where Marlon is most popular
The index compares Marlon's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Marlon.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 2.89× | 1,423 |
| Florida | 2.06× | 2,042 |
| Alabama | 1.98× | 962 |
| Mississippi | 1.84× | 611 |
| Tennessee | 1.60× | 925 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Marlon and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Marlon (this page) | 30,830 | 1972 |
| Marlin | 18,861 | 1935 |
| Marlan | 1,157 | 1937 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Marlon's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Marlon.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Marlon (1972).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data