Girls' name · since 1912
Marla
Marla has 38,781 recorded births since 1912 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1955 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #703 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,055 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 38,781
- born since 1912
- 1950s
- peak decade
Yes -- Marla is the #2055 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 38,781 recorded since 1912.
Social Security Administration records show Marla recorded 38,781 times among girls since 1912, holding rank #2055 nationally today, ahead of 88% of girls, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1912 to 2025.
- #703 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,055 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 38,781 born since 1912
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Marla ranks #703 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,055 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 38,781 born since 1912, peaking in the 1950s.
- #703 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,055 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 38,781
- born since 1912
- 1950s
- peak decade
Marla's 38,781 recorded births place it above 99.02% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
47 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Marla compares
38,781 Top 5% higher than 95% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Marla's all-time total is 103x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Marla | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 38,781 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,725 | 21 | 19,840 |
Marla's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Marla splits its recorded history at 1973: 27% of all births land in the more recent half, 73% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1920 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1955 peak of 1,725 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Marla popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1912–2025
- Peak year (1955)
- 1,725
- Annual births at peak, across 114 years of records
Marla popularity over time - boys
38 total births recorded since 1955 (Marla as boys' name)
Marla by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (11,441 births, 30% of the file).
1950s was Marla's strongest decade.
11,441 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 30% of all-time use.
Marla births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 16
1910s
16 births
- 1920s 73
1920s
73 births
- 1930s 699
1930s
699 births
- 1940s 2,835
1940s
2,835 births
- 1950s
1950s
11,441 births
- 1960s
1960s
10,615 births
- 1970s
1970s
6,613 births
- 1980s 2,776
1980s
2,776 births
- 1990s 1,616
1990s
1,616 births
- 2000s 905
2000s
905 births
- 2010s 710
2010s
710 births
- 2020s 482
2020s
482 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 11,441 births (30% of all-time use).
How Marla compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Marla's total volume
Marla by state
Where Marla concentrates geographically, total births since 1912
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 4,408 | 11.4% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 2,986 | 7.7% |
| #3 | Texas | | 2,782 | 7.2% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 2,303 | 5.9% |
| #5 | New York | | 1,884 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 1,664 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Indiana | | 1,652 | 4.3% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 1,424 | 3.7% |
4,408 of 38,781 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Marla appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Marla? ▼
Where does Marla sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Marla most popular? ▼
Where is Marla most popular? ▼
How long has the name Marla been used? ▼
What names are similar to Marla? ▼
What to do with Marla's data
- Marla's decade-level peak was the 1950s (11,441 total births); usage has since declined to 482 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Marlas (4,408 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Marla
Nearby Names Like Marla
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Marla
Compare Marla side by side: Marla vs Mary Marla vs Margaret Marla vs Maria
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Marla
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Marla: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1955)
Similar record span (~113 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1912–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Marla draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.