Marlena
Girl name · #2968 in 2025 · Very rare
Marlena is currently the #2968 girl name in the United States — 56 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #2471, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 32,143 girls born in 2025 was named Marlena.
The 100-year story
Marlena first appears in the Social Security records in 1925, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1978, when 470 girls were named Marlena — good for #430 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 Marlena per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Marlena against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Marlena in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Marlena is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Marlena will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Marlena is most common
State-level data for Marlena is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Marlena
Statistically, parents drawn to Marlena tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Lorena, Maricela, Suzanna, Katrina, and Celena.
LorenaMaricelaSuzannaKatrinaCelenaMirnaSalinaMelisa
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Marlena | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 56 | #2957 |
| 2024 | 44 | #3516 |
| 2023 | 54 | #3047 |
| 2022 | 67 | #2604 |
| 2021 | 56 | #2958 |
| 2020 | 72 | #2416 |
| 2019 | 73 | #2428 |
| 2018 | 78 | #2334 |
| 2017 | 62 | #2744 |
| 2016 | 82 | #2308 |
| 2015 | 73 | #2471 |
| 2014 | 92 | #2096 |
| 2013 | 100 | #1968 |
| 2012 | 83 | #2265 |
| 2011 | 77 | #2395 |
| 2010 | 72 | #2538 |
| 2009 | 100 | #2041 |
| 2008 | 108 | #1949 |
| 2007 | 97 | #2085 |
| 2006 | 113 | #1809 |
| 2005 | 122 | #1639 |
| 2004 | 95 | #1962 |
| 2003 | 104 | #1802 |
| 2002 | 140 | #1376 |
| 2001 | 139 | #1368 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Marlena a popular girl name?
Marlena ranked #2968 among girls in 2025 with 56 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2471.
When was the name Marlena most popular?
Marlena peaked in 1978, when 470 American girls received the name (ranked #430 that year). Since 1978 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Marlena?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 32,143 newborn American girls was named Marlena. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very 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.