Given name & surname
Marlo
“one who resembles driftwood”
Marlo is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “one who resembles driftwood.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “one who resembles driftwood.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1915. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Marlo through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 10,944
- 3,680 boys · 7,264 girls
- Most popular year
- 1970
- 635 babies
- 2025
- 204
- #1,839 for girls · #1,720 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +25%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 44% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 109 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,839 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 18.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 593 in 1970. It also appeared in 95 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, California and Pennsylvania shared the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (9 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 8,723 as a first name in 2020; 368 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Marlo’s family of names
Marlo has a related form in Marlon. Marlo has a related form in Marlowe. Marlo has a related form in Marlow.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Marlo
- Marlo MorganAmerican writerborn 1937
- Marlo SweatmanJamaican-American soccer playerborn 1994
- Marlo KellyAustralian actressborn 1996
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Marlo, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Tracey
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33% boys · 67% girls
Freedom
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Stoney
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67% boys · 33% girls
Kirby
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48% boys · 52% girls
Irish
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Farren
“one who is adventurous; an explorer”
29% boys · 71% girls
Courtney
“a courteous woman; courtly” · “a courteous man; courtly”
26% boys · 74% girls
Rickie
“a powerful ruler” · “a peaceful ruler”
65% boys · 35% girls