Unisex name · since 1884
Marlin
Marlin has 21,172 recorded births since 1884 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1935 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #815 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,779 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 21,172
- born since 1884
- 1930s
- peak decade
Marlin currently ranks #1779 among unisex names in America, with 21,172 babies recorded since 1884.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Marlin has been recorded 21,172 times among boys since 1884, currently ranked #1779 nationally and more common than 87% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1930s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1884 to 2025.
- #815 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,779 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 21,172 born since 1884
- 1930s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Marlin ranks #815 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,779 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 21,172 born since 1884, peaking in the 1930s.
- #815 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,779 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 21,172
- born since 1884
- 1930s
- peak decade
Marlin's 21,172 recorded births place it above 98.2% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
39 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Pennsylvania.
How Marlin compares
21,172 Top 6% higher than 94% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Marlin's all-time total is 57x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Marlin | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 21,172 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 386 | 34 | 22,252 |
Marlin's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Marlin splits its recorded history at 1960: 39% of all births land in the more recent half, 61% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1884 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1935 peak of 386 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Marlin popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1884–2025
- Peak year (1935)
- 386
- Annual births at peak, across 142 years of records
Marlin popularity over time - girls
1,662 total births recorded since 1915 (Marlin as girls' name)
Marlin by decade
1930s is the heaviest window (3,409 births, 16% of the file).
1930s was Marlin's strongest decade.
3,409 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
Marlin births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 6
1880s
6 births
- 1890s 36
1890s
36 births
- 1900s 124
1900s
124 births
- 1910s 1,111
1910s
1,111 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,308 births
- 1930s
1930s
3,409 births
- 1940s
1940s
3,013 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,882 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,092 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,838 births
- 1980s 1,125
1980s
1,125 births
- 1990s 1,094
1990s
1,094 births
- 2000s 878
2000s
878 births
- 2010s 779
2010s
779 births
- 2020s 477
2020s
477 births
What this shows Peak: 1930s at 3,409 births (16% of all-time use).
How Marlin compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Marlin's total volume
Marlin by state
Where Marlin concentrates geographically, total births since 1884
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 3,726 | 17.6% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 1,212 | 5.7% |
| #3 | Texas | | 1,157 | 5.5% |
| #4 | Minnesota | | 854 | 4.0% |
| #5 | Indiana | | 809 | 3.8% |
| #6 | Iowa | | 786 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 667 | 3.2% |
| #8 | California | | 658 | 3.1% |
3,726 of 21,172 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 39 reporting states.
Marlin appears in 39 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Marlin's data
- Marlin's decade-level peak was the 1930s (3,409 total births); usage has since declined to 477 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Marlins (3,726 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Marlin
Nearby Names Like Marlin
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Marlin
Compare Marlin side by side: Marlin vs Mark Marlin vs Martin Marlin vs Marvin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Marlin
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Marlin: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1935)
Similar record span (~141 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, 1884–2025 (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 Marlin 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.