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Marlene as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Marlene

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The baby name Marlene is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /mɑrˈliːn/ (mar-LEEN); French variant Marlène: /maʁlɛn/ (mar-LEN).

Marlene is German in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: German
Pronunciation: /mɑrˈliːn/ (mar-LEEN); French variant Marlène: /maʁlɛn/ (mar-LEN)

What is the meaning of the name Marlene ?

The baby name Marlene is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /mɑrˈliːn/ (mar-LEEN); French variant Marlène: /maʁlɛn/ (mar-LEN).

Marlene is German in Origin.

Marlene is a German blend of Maria and Magdalene, formed by eliding the middle to create a smooth two-syllable or three-syllable name (English mar-LEEN; German mar-LAY-nuh). Its layered meaning reflects its parts: Maria, from Hebrew Miryam, carries debated senses such as “beloved,” “bitter,” or “wished-for child,” while Magdalene denotes “of Magdala,” from Hebrew migdal, “tower.” Together, Marlene evokes steadfast strength with a gentle, devotional undertone.

Used in German-speaking Europe by the late 19th century, the name leapt to international fame through screen legend Marlene Dietrich, whose 1930s stardom sent it up English-language popularity charts through the mid-20th century. Today it reads as a tailored vintage choice. Variants and cognates include Marlena, Marleen (Dutch/German), Marlène (French), and Marlen; related short forms are Lena, Lene, Mari, and Marli. Alternate spellings such as Marlayne or Marlayna appear but are rarer.

Marlene has the following similar or variant Names

Marlene – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2014 #1 947
Germany Girls 2025 #1 411
HT 0 #10 3 399
SV 0 #11 1 283
SV Girls 0 #18 1 458
HT Girls 0 #23 1 950
NA 0 #27 7 2,537
BI Girls 0 #32 2 726
AO Girls 0 #35 287 4,575
BR Girls 0 #36 10,155 12,708
MT 0 #36 8 1,767
ID 0 #38 2 2,238
JM Girls 0 #42 400 7,507
JM 0 #44 44 3,714
Austria Girls 2024 #46 167 60
MT Girls 0 #50 125 3,773
AO 0 #53 24 2,729
CM 0 #54 3 2,592
PR 0 #54 2 1,497
BO Girls 0 #56 2,821 9,488
EC Girls 0 #58 301 3,650
CY 0 #60 1 1,632
LU 0 #60 7 2,830
JP 0 #73 5 4,057
EC 0 #76 40 2,502
CR Girls 0 #77 1,277 11,342
PT Girls 0 #77 2,054 7,952
MU Girls 0 #78 487 8,539
PH 0 #85 12 5,607
Austria Girls 0 #92 921 1,885
MU 0 #97 42 3,613
ID Girls 0 #101 2 3,319
TW 0 #102 2 4,523
Austria 0 #104 127 850
QA 0 #105 2 7,011
PA 0 #106 25 3,797
BN Girls 0 #111 4 5,459
CY Girls 0 #112 10 3,755
PT 0 #112 195 4,161
LU Girls 0 #113 78 4,850
PE Girls 0 #115 4,608 14,861
DK Girls 0 #116 312 7,429
OM 0 #119 3 6,215
KW 0 #121 1 5,216
PR Girls 0 #122 41 3,171
Norway Girls 2025 #123 4 453
Switzerland Girls 2024 #127 9 1,786
PA Girls 0 #131 578 9,861
NA Girls 0 #132 96 7,146
CR 0 #133 26 5,526
GR 0 #134 2 3,911
DK 0 #138 69 5,198
JO 0 #140 1 2,158
EE Girls 0 #141 2 1,888
ZA Girls 0 #149 3,789 25,928
BO 0 #152 293 6,868
BR 0 #160 218 5,969
CL Girls 0 #165 2,816 14,098
CO Girls 0 #171 5,196 16,140
AR 0 #173 14 2,915
HU Boys 0 #174 1 3,954
SI Girls 0 #176 2 2,769
UY 0 #176 7 2,477
MT Boys 0 #179 1 4,064
AE 0 #181 7 10,220
Sweden Girls 2021 #182 2 1,666
ZA 0 #188 274 14,421
PE 0 #199 113 6,350
UY Girls 0 #202 514 6,731
JP Girls 0 #204 42 6,592
PS 0 #209 10 5,692
HU Girls 0 #224 2 3,308
EC Boys 0 #239 8 3,322
MO Girls 0 #240 12 7,056
GR Girls 0 #243 7 6,293
AO Boys 0 #245 5 5,568
Germany Girls 0 #246 1,276 4,949
MX Girls 0 #247 3,690 17,781
CL 0 #248 192 6,867
PH Girls 0 #252 140 13,098
NA Boys 0 #253 1 6,830
SG 0 #253 17 11,010
MX 0 #254 168 8,339
NG 0 #271 2 5,926
QA Girls 0 #273 44 15,378
IL 0 #276 7 6,291
Canada Girls 2024 #278 8 2,795
TW Girls 0 #282 8 8,139
SA 0 #286 10 10,560
JM Boys 0 #288 6 6,876
HR Girls 0 #291 4 3,687
GT 0 #302 13 5,948
JP Boys 0 #303 1 7,909
AR Girls 0 #331 348 8,289
Finland Girls 0 #332 60 1,368
JO Girls 0 #333 7 7,570
CN Girls 0 #334 16 8,829
GH Girls 0 #334 4 6,973
Germany 0 #335 105 2,542
Spain Girls 0 #338 1,184 5,561
CO 0 #347 137 7,768
MY 0 #347 8 12,352
CZ Girls 0 #348 4 5,378
NL 0 #352 40 2,481
HK 0 #354 4 8,483
OM Girls 0 #355 42 15,987
PT Boys 0 #357 11 7,951
PL Girls 0 #362 3 5,096
MU Boys 0 #369 1 8,477
GT Girls 0 #374 136 7,500
EG 0 #385 16 6,387
CM Girls 0 #390 153 11,671
Spain 0 #392 61 2,326
France Girls 2018 #398 5 3,265
UY Boys 0 #412 2 5,922
KW Girls 0 #425 91 19,177
AE Girls 0 #454 100 20,968
PS Girls 0 #464 60 10,981
LB 0 #468 195 13,263
CR Boys 0 #476 12 10,188
AR Boys 0 #478 6 7,628
GT Boys 0 #497 3 7,625
PA Boys 0 #503 3 9,305
RU Girls 0 #517 7 11,913
IQ Girls 0 #521 5 11,303
NL Girls 0 #521 517 5,933
IL Girls 0 #525 93 11,648
RU Boys 0 #526 1 12,621
Finland Girls 2026 #530 249 3,895
SG Girls 0 #530 57 18,916
BH 0 #533 21 17,937
BO Boys 0 #542 51 9,244
IR Girls 0 #543 3 8,334
IT Girls 0 #546 1,597 9,415
HK Girls 0 #556 60 16,104
HK Boys 0 #556 2 12,905
LY 0 #557 3 12,703
CM Boys 0 #573 3 12,054
IT 0 #609 106 4,183
BR Boys 0 #624 129 12,213
IN Girls 0 #652 3 13,121
CL Boys 0 #692 9 13,390
IQ Boys 0 #696 2 13,071
SY 0 #704 25 11,684
NG Girls 0 #761 26 15,093
United States Girls 2024 #780 137 8,487
SA Girls 0 #793 143 25,931
KW Boys 0 #801 6 18,755
TN 0 #819 11 13,765
PE Boys 0 #836 43 14,506
CO Boys 0 #869 52 15,656
EG Girls 0 #889 71 14,742
OM Boys 0 #914 5 17,948
Spain Boys 0 #921 10 5,610
MY Girls 0 #952 43 24,821
MX Boys 0 #957 26 16,355
NG Boys 0 #1,000 2 16,906
MA 0 #1,119 10 20,986
AE Boys 0 #1,143 1 22,615
ZA Boys 0 #1,144 35 25,619
MY Boys 0 #1,182 1 25,439
DZ 0 #1,227 8 20,130
TR 0 #1,246 9 19,440
IT Boys 0 #1,460 12 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,685 7 28,008

Marlene is popular in 79 countries — most recent births per country:

Norway
Austria
Canada
Switzerland
United States

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People also ask about Marlene

Marlene is predominantly a girl's name.
Marlene is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /mɑrˈliːn/ (mar-LEEN); French variant Marlène: /maʁlɛn/ (mar-LEN).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Marlena, Marleen, Marlène, Marlen, Marline and Marlina.
Yes, very popular — Marlene ranked #1 in Ireland in 2014, and appears in official birth registries across 11 countries.
Marlene ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2014).
Marlene's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #123 in 2015 to #123 in 2025 in Norway.