Marilyn
Girl name · #760 in 2025 · Rare
Marilyn ranks #760 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 356 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #426, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 5,056 girls born in 2025 was named Marilyn.
The 126-year story
Marilyn first appears in the Social Security records in 1899, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1947, when 11,881 girls were named Marilyn — good for #29 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Marilyn per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Marilyn against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Marilyn in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Marilyn is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Marilyn will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Marilyn is most common
Geography matters for names, and Marilyn is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Marilyn is most common in WI (0.6 per 1,000), MO (0.5 per 1,000), IN (0.4 per 1,000), GA (0.4 per 1,000), PA (0.4 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.3 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Marilyn is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Marilyn
Statistically, parents drawn to Marilyn tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Carolyn, Rosalyn, Gwendolyn, Roslyn, and Eileen.
CarolynRosalynGwendolynRoslynEileenMarthaMaryannKathryn
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Marilyn | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 356 | #760 |
| 2024 | 436 | #665 |
| 2023 | 378 | #743 |
| 2022 | 423 | #697 |
| 2021 | 409 | #704 |
| 2020 | 457 | #634 |
| 2019 | 467 | #634 |
| 2018 | 498 | #606 |
| 2017 | 585 | #529 |
| 2016 | 634 | #490 |
| 2015 | 748 | #426 |
| 2014 | 798 | #404 |
| 2013 | 837 | #373 |
| 2012 | 744 | #421 |
| 2011 | 535 | #544 |
| 2010 | 536 | #547 |
| 2009 | 524 | #580 |
| 2008 | 545 | #565 |
| 2007 | 599 | #522 |
| 2006 | 598 | #508 |
| 2005 | 513 | #558 |
| 2004 | 499 | #573 |
| 2003 | 514 | #544 |
| 2002 | 507 | #543 |
| 2001 | 553 | #496 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Marilyn a popular girl name?
Marilyn ranked #760 among girls in 2025 with 356 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #426.
When was the name Marilyn most popular?
Marilyn peaked in 1947, when 11,881 American girls received the name (ranked #29 that year). Since 1947 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Marilyn?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 5,056 newborn American girls was named Marilyn. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.