Total births
11,321
Girls' name · since 1925
Marlena
11,321 babies named Marlena in U.S. Social Security records since 1925, with the highest year being 1978. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3530
- among girls today
- 11,321
- born since 1925
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 80%
- more common than other girls
Marlena currently ranks #3530 among girls' names in America, with 11,321 babies recorded since 1925.
Social Security Administration records show Marlena recorded 11,321 times among girls since 1925, holding rank #3530 nationally today, ahead of 80% of girls, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1925 to 2025.
- #3530 among girls today
- 11,321 born since 1925
- 1980s peak decade
- 80% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Marlena is currently the #3530 girls' name in America, more common than 80% of girls - 11,321 born since 1925, peaking in the 1980s.
- #3530
- among girls today
- 11,321
- born since 1925
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 80%
- more common than other girls
Marlena vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#3530
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 80% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
21% of everyone ever named Marlena was born in this single decade.
1978
Single peak year
470 babies were named Marlena in 1978 - its busiest year on record.
How Marlena compares
11,321 Top 8% higher than 92% of 17,726 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
Marlena's all-time total is 30x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Marlena | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 11,321 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 470 | 48 | 19,840 |
Marlena's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Marlena's full recorded timeline at 1978, 69% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 31% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1925, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1978 peak of 470 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Marlena at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1978
Current rank
#3,530
Active since
1925
Marlena popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1925–2025
- Peak year (1978)
- 470
- Annual births at peak, across 101 years of records
Marlena by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Marlena's strongest decade.
2,425 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Marlena births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 5
1920s
5 births
- 1930s 134
1930s
134 births
- 1940s 385
1940s
385 births
- 1950s 732
1950s
732 births
- 1960s
1960s
995 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,164 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,425 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,166 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,174 births
- 2010s 792
2010s
792 births
- 2020s 349
2020s
349 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 2,425 births (21% of all-time use).
How Marlena 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 Marlena's total volume
Marlena vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Marlena by state
Where Marlena concentrates geographically, total births since 1925
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,662 | 14.7% |
| #2 | New York | | 692 | 6.1% |
| #3 | Texas | | 643 | 5.7% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 563 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 452 | 4.0% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 364 | 3.2% |
| #7 | Florida | | 355 | 3.1% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 329 | 2.9% |
California share of Marlena's total US births 14.7%
Even split
1,662 of 11,321 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 37 reporting states.
Marlena appears in 37 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Marlena? ▼
Since 1925, Social Security records show 11,321 babies named Marlena. Today it holds rank #3530 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1978, with 470 births.
When was Marlena most popular? ▼
Marlena was most popular in the 1980s decade with 2,425 total births. The single peak year was 1978.
Where is Marlena most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Marlena are California (1,662 births), New York (692 births), Texas (643 births).
How long has the name Marlena been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Marlena since 1925 -- 101 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Marlena? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Mary, Margaret, Maria, Martha, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Marlena's data
- Marlena's decade-level peak was the 1980s (2,425 total births); usage has since declined to 349 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Marlenas (1,662 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Marlena
Nearby Names Like Marlena
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Marlena
Mary Girl
#131 4,141,481 births
Margaret Girl
#119 1,264,774 births
Maria Girl
#74 566,111 births
Martha Girl
#666 551,741 births
Marie Girl
#632 540,077 births
Compare Marlena side by side: Marlena vs Mary Marlena vs Margaret Marlena vs Maria
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Marlena
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1925–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Marlena: #3530 Girls' Name - 11,321 Births, Peak 1978." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/marlena. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Marlena 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 June 2026.