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Marilyn as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Marilyn

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The baby name Marilyn is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈmærəlɪn/ — MAR-ə-lin.

Marilyn is English in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 3.0
Origin: English
Pronunciation: /ˈmærəlɪn/ — MAR-ə-lin

What is the meaning of the name Marilyn ?

The baby name Marilyn is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈmærəlɪn/ — MAR-ə-lin.

Marilyn is English in Origin.

Marilyn blends Mary with Lynn, a 20th-century American coinage. Mary traces to Hebrew Miryam, a name of debated meaning, often interpreted as "beloved," "wished-for child," "rebellion," or poetically "sea." Lynn comes from Welsh llyn, "lake, pool, waterfall," later used as an English given name and suffix. Together, Marilyn carries a modern, lyrical feel while echoing traditional roots.

The name rose sharply across the English-speaking world from the 1920s through the 1950s, boosted by the star power of Marilyn Monroe; its strong mid-century association led to decline later in the century, and it now reads as a vintage classic. Spelling variants and related forms include Marilynn, Marylyn, Marlyn, Maralyn, Marilynne, Merrilyn (Australia), Marilín/Marilin (Spanish), and Maryline (French). Common nicknames are Mari, Mary, Mare, and Lyn/Lynnie. Cognate influence also comes from Marian and Marlene, which share the Mary element.

Marilyn has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Marilyn

Marilyn Maxwell Musician · Born 1921 · United States Marilyn Maxwell was an American actress and singer best known for her film work in the 1940s and 1950s and for entertaining troops on USO tours with Bob Hope. She appeared in movies such as Champion, The Lemon Drop Kid, and Rock-a-Bye Baby, and also performed on radio during her career.

Marilyn – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2023 #1 — 897
BW 0 #19 1 960
BN 0 #31 2 2,297
NA 0 #32 2 2,537
EE 0 #36 2 1,051
PH Girls 0 #37 718 13,098
MT 0 #38 6 1,767
PR Girls 0 #42 161 3,171
PR 0 #43 13 1,497
CM 0 #49 8 2,592
CY 0 #60 1 1,632
LU 0 #64 3 2,830
PH 0 #64 33 5,607
AL 0 #76 1 2,372
JP 0 #76 2 4,057
BN Girls 0 #80 27 5,459
BG 0 #82 1 1,799
CN 0 #86 1 3,857
JM 0 #91 3 3,714
MT Girls 0 #98 54 3,773
QA 0 #99 8 7,011
KW Girls 0 #101 633 19,177
SD 0 #102 1 2,130
KW 0 #103 14 5,216
TW 0 #103 1 4,523
OM 0 #104 13 6,215
PA 0 #109 22 3,797
GE Boys 0 #110 1 2,055
CR 0 #112 47 5,526
EC 0 #113 9 2,502
CR Girls 0 #117 918 11,342
CY Girls 0 #117 9 3,755
QA Girls 0 #119 219 15,378
GR 0 #133 3 3,911
EE Girls 0 #134 9 1,888
MU 0 #134 4 3,613
PA Girls 0 #136 567 9,861
BN Boys 0 #137 3 6,332
BW Girls 0 #145 7 4,216
AE 0 #164 14 10,220
EC Girls 0 #165 75 3,650
AE Girls 0 #173 463 20,968
UY 0 #177 6 2,477
Sweden Girls 2021 #179 5 1,666
MO Girls 0 #181 71 7,056
LU Girls 0 #185 6 4,850
CZ 0 #186 1 3,154
AR 0 #187 7 2,915
NA Girls 0 #204 21 7,146
DK 0 #205 2 5,198
SG 0 #209 61 11,010
AO Girls 0 #214 4 4,575
JM Girls 0 #218 42 7,507
PS 0 #221 6 5,692
HU Girls 0 #222 4 3,308
AL Girls 0 #225 3 4,141
JP Girls 0 #228 18 6,592
OM Girls 0 #228 171 15,987
GR Girls 0 #229 14 6,293
BG Girls 0 #230 2 3,559
IR 0 #231 1 4,221
SG Girls 0 #231 469 18,916
MO Boys 0 #234 1 5,842
PE 0 #238 73 6,350
BD 0 #240 2 5,992
PE Girls 0 #243 1,829 14,861
EC Boys 0 #245 2 3,322
GH 0 #245 4 5,396
PT 0 #247 4 4,161
SA Girls 0 #255 1,062 25,931
IL 0 #264 11 6,291
TW Girls 0 #264 13 8,139
Canada Girls 2024 #268 18 2,795
NG 0 #269 4 5,926
GT Girls 0 #270 276 7,500
SA 0 #271 25 10,560
GR Boys 0 #273 1 6,912
GH Girls 0 #277 48 6,973
GT 0 #280 35 5,948
CL Girls 0 #286 1,139 14,098
HR Girls 0 #292 3 3,687
MU Girls 0 #295 57 8,539
MY 0 #302 29 12,352
JO Girls 0 #307 19 7,570
DK Girls 0 #325 5 7,429
CN Girls 0 #329 21 8,829
ZA 0 #329 119 14,421
KZ Girls 0 #331 2 5,862
HK 0 #337 12 8,483
CO Girls 0 #338 1,769 16,140
BO Girls 0 #339 325 9,488
CL 0 #340 73 6,867
ZA Girls 0 #344 1,732 25,928
CZ Girls 0 #350 2 5,378
HK Girls 0 #350 307 16,104
BO 0 #353 29 6,868
SD Girls 0 #355 4 7,678
BR 0 #358 3 5,969
GH Boys 0 #360 2 8,138
PL Girls 0 #361 4 5,096
MU Boys 0 #369 1 8,477
NL 0 #372 20 2,481
Finland Girls 0 #373 19 1,368
CO 0 #379 103 7,768
UY Girls 0 #379 137 6,731
MX 0 #381 33 8,339
France Girls 2020 #391 4 3,215
YE 0 #395 4 8,639
AR Girls 0 #399 229 8,289
Austria Girls 0 #399 22 1,885
BD Girls 0 #400 7 8,413
PH Boys 0 #404 5 11,440
EG 0 #405 8 6,387
PT Girls 0 #409 43 7,952
BH 0 #413 141 17,937
UY Boys 0 #413 1 5,922
Spain 0 #431 22 2,326
PS Girls 0 #441 83 10,981
AR Boys 0 #458 10 7,628
RU Girls 0 #479 20 11,913
IQ Girls 0 #484 21 11,303
CM Girls 0 #488 53 11,671
GT Boys 0 #495 5 7,625
PA Boys 0 #502 4 9,305
CR Boys 0 #509 2 10,188
United States Girls 2024 #519 432 8,487
IL Girls 0 #522 96 11,648
LY 0 #525 11 12,703
RU Boys 0 #526 1 12,621
IR Girls 0 #543 3 8,334
LB 0 #543 116 13,263
HK Boys 0 #555 3 12,905
PS Boys 0 #559 3 10,655
IR Boys 0 #563 3 10,162
CM Boys 0 #575 1 12,054
BO Boys 0 #621 2 9,244
IL Boys 0 #623 3 10,983
Spain Girls 0 #637 374 5,561
NG Girls 0 #644 144 15,093
IN Girls 0 #648 7 13,121
CL Boys 0 #655 11 13,390
IT 0 #663 52 4,183
MY Girls 0 #668 340 24,821
MX Girls 0 #681 635 17,781
IQ Boys 0 #695 3 13,071
IT Girls 0 #706 1,023 9,415
Germany Girls 0 #718 121 4,949
SY 0 #718 11 11,684
Finland Girls 2026 #720 19 3,895
SG Boys 0 #736 4 17,960
QA Boys 0 #741 3 18,093
NL Girls 0 #749 208 5,933
KW Boys 0 #753 17 18,755
BR Boys 0 #785 1 12,213
PE Boys 0 #859 20 14,506
TN 0 #860 6 13,765
EG Girls 0 #904 56 14,742
BR Girls 0 #905 37 12,708
CO Boys 0 #907 14 15,656
OM Boys 0 #918 1 17,948
EG Boys 0 #925 1 15,035
MX Boys 0 #969 14 16,355
NG Boys 0 #996 6 16,906
IN Boys 0 #1,039 1 16,750
MA 0 #1,119 10 20,986
AE Boys 0 #1,135 9 22,615
ZA Boys 0 #1,161 18 25,619
DZ 0 #1,162 15 20,130
MY Boys 0 #1,182 1 25,439
TR 0 #1,186 26 19,440
IT Boys 0 #1,449 23 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,580 35 28,008

Marilyn is popular in 80 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Canada
United States
Ireland
Scotland, United Kingdom

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Marilyn

Marilyn is predominantly a girl's name.
Marilyn is a 3 syllable name, pronounced /ˈmærəlɪn/ — MAR-ə-lin.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Marylin, Marilynn, Maralyn, Marylyn, Merilyn and Marilynne.
Yes, very popular — Marilyn ranked #1 in Ireland in 2023, and appears in official birth registries across 8 countries.
Marilyn ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2023).
Marilyn's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #406 in 2010 to #391 in 2020 in France.
Yes — 1 notable people named Marilyn are in our database, including Marilyn Maxwell (Musician).