Marilin
Feminine
Marilin writes a familiar name with an i where most spellings use a y, which happens to be how Spanish would write it. Its middle syllable is also the name of a bird that has nothing to do with the wizard it appears to be named after.
How old is the name Marilin?
Marilin first appears in US birth records in 1944 — 81 years ago. The typical Marilin alive today was born around 1997, making them about 28 years old. About 800 people named Marilin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Marilin most popular?
Marilin peaked in 1968, reaching #3456 nationally. See the whole 1968 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Marilin
A merlin is the smallest falcon in Europe and North America, a compact grey and rust bird that hunts small birds in fast low flight over open ground. Its name has nothing to do with Arthurian legend: it came into English from the Old French esmerillon, a diminutive built on a Germanic word for the bird, and the resemblance to the wizard's name is an accident of English spelling. Medieval falconry ranked birds by the rank of person entitled to fly them, and the merlin was the lady's hawk. Mary Queen of Scots is recorded flying them. The wizard, meanwhile, got his name from a Welsh one that Geoffrey of Monmouth adjusted to avoid an unfortunate resemblance to a French word.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Marilyn was a twentieth-century construction and its elements were never documented, so even the standard spelling has no settled sense. This version adds nothing to the question.
Pronouncing Marilin
MAIR-ih-lin
Three syllables with the stress in front. Spanish-speaking families often say mah-ree-LEEN, with the weight at the end.
Nicknames for Marilin
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1944
- Most girls named
- 200332 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3456reached in 1968
- Change vs 2019
- +28.6%9 in 2022, from 7
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Marilins among us
people named Marilin are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Marilin sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- The sound is thoroughly familiar, so it is rarely a puzzle to say.
- Mari and Lin are both available as short forms and both stand alone.
- The i spelling is the natural one in Spanish, so the name works in a bilingual household.
- Marilyn is the standard spelling in English and this one will be corrected to it regularly.
- Two stress patterns are in circulation depending on the language of the speaker.
- One film star has owned the name in the public mind for seventy years.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Marilin to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Marilin? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Marilin
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Marilins are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Marilin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Marilin in 2025?
- Marilin is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Marilin with classmates?
- Marilin will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More M names
The most-given names starting with M, all years combined.
Mary#125 · Margaret#112 · Michelle#465 · Melissa#419 · Maria#87 · Martha#712 · Marie#617 · Mildred#1962
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Marilin? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Marilin and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle