Marlee
Torn between Marlee and another name? Compare them side by side →
Meaning
modern variant spelling of Marley
The story
Marlee is Marley spelled toward the nursery, and the couple files in order: Marley, the anchor the reggae legend made a household word, about 38,400 with its own story here; Marlee at about 17,900, nearly all girls. The record's turn is precisely datable: a few hundred a decade through the 1980s, then about 2,100 in the 1990s, the decade after a deaf actress won the Oscar under this spelling and made it famous in its own right; the record shows the timing, and timing is all a record can show. The build held: 4,100 in the 2000s, cresting at 6,600 in the 2010s, with 4,000 so far this decade. An -ee ending on a surname sound, a historic statuette in the chronology, and a record that rose for three straight decades after.
How popular is Marlee around the world?
In the United States, 3,955 babies were named Marlee between 2020 and 2025. In South Australia, 7 girls were registered as Marlee in 2017.
Marlee is on the official records of the United States, South Australia, Canada and England and Wales.
United States
1 in 5,500
In the United States, 3,955 babies were named Marlee between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Marlee peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
South Australia
1 in 2,6002017
In South Australia, 7 girls were registered as Marlee in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Canada
1 in 12,000
In Canada, 30 girls named Marlee were born in 2024, the 913th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
England and Wales
1 in 59,000
In England and Wales, 10 girls named Marlee were born in 2025, ranked 2,605th among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Argentina
last on record 2019
Marlee is not on the 2024 record for Argentina, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Ireland
last on record 2020
Marlee is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
New Zealand
last on record 2024
Marlee is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Puerto Rico, Scotland and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Austria record for 1984 to 2025: Statistik Austria publishes every first name down to a single birth, so this name was not given there in those years (before 2010 the record covers babies with Austrian citizenship only). Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Marlee
Most people given the name Marlee in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
The Marlee deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Marlee truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Marlee fits with your family’s names and surname.
Does Marlee fit YOUR family?
nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.
Add Marlee to your family’s tree →