Given name & surname
Marlene
Marlene is a feminine given name from German. It is used in English, Spanish, German, Swedish, and 1 other language.
Original GermanMarlen
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is German.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1904. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Marlene through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 130,932
- 359 boys · 130,573 girls
- Most popular year
- 1936
- 5,354 babies
- 2025
- 177
- #1,268 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −4%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 177 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,268 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 4.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 5,332 in 1936. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (37). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 106,957 as a first name in 2020; a sample rank of No. 70,351 among surnames in 1990.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Marlene’s family of names
In German usage, Marlene has a short form in Marlen. In German usage, Marlene has a later derivative in Marleena. Marlene is a contracted form of Maria.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Marlene has relatives in 8 languages. Lines run from its German roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 22
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Marlene
- Marlene DietrichGerman and American actress and singer (1901–1992)
- Marlene DumasSouth African painter and draftsperson (born 1953)
- Marlene FavelaMexican model and actressborn 1976
- Marlene SchmidtGerman actressborn 1937
- Marlene AhrensChilean athletics competitor (1933–2020)
- Marlene MathewsAustralian sprinterborn 1934
- Marlene ForteCuban actressborn 1961
- Marlene van NiekerkSouth African authorborn 1954
- Marlene WeingärtnerGerman tennis playerborn 1980
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
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Manthe
Manthe is a surname from German.
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Maske
Maske is a surname from German, ultimately from Late Latin.
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