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Marley

girl name
Origin
English
Syllables
2
Peak era
2010s
Today
▬ Steady

Torn between Marley and another name? Compare them side by side →

Meaning

place name/surname, "pleasant wood"

The story

Marley is an English surname drawn from old place names meaning pleasant meadow, a gentle origin for a name that now carries so much bass. Bob Marley carried reggae out of Kingston, Jamaica and into every corner of the planet, One Love and Redemption Song becoming something close to global hymns before his death in 1981 at thirty-six. American parents began reaching for Marley, mostly for girls, in the 1990s, and the name climbed for two decades to a peak in the 2010s, easing only slightly since. The reggae legend is likely part of that story, though the bestselling dog memoir Marley and Me arrived mid-climb, so the tribute may run through more than one beloved Marley; either way, the rise is real. Few names manage to sound this relaxed and this warm at the same time.

More names with stories →

How popular is Marley around the world?

In the United States, 8,112 babies were named Marley between 2020 and 2025. In South Australia, 12 girls were registered as Marley in 2017.

Marley is on the official records of the United States, South Australia, Scotland, England and Wales, New Zealand, France, Canada, Ireland, Chile, Mexico City, Brazil, Austria, Spain and Argentina.

United States

1 in 2,700

In the United States, 8,112 babies were named Marley between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 2010s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Marley peaked in the 2010s. Marley went to 1,761 US babies in 2015 and 1,081 in 2025, 61% of the earlier figure.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

South Australia

1 in 1,000 · 2017

In South Australia, 12 girls were registered as Marley in 2017.
In South Australia, 6 boys were registered as Marley in 2017.

1944peak 2015

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

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Scotland

1 in 1,100

In Scotland, 26 girls named Marley were registered in 2024, the 160th most common name among girls that year.
In Scotland, 16 boys named Marley were registered in 2024, the 246th most common name among boys that year.

1990peak 2024

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names

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England and Wales

1 in 1,200

In England and Wales, 395 boys named Marley were born in 2025, the 125th most common name among boys that year.

1996peak 2024

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

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New Zealand

1 in 1,300

In New Zealand, 24 boys named Marley were registered in 2025.
In New Zealand, 20 girls named Marley were registered in 2025.

2000peak 2021

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

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France

1 in 3,500

In France, about 145 boys named Marley were born in 2025, the 347th most common name among boys that year.
In France, about 40 girls named Marley were born in 2025, the 978th most common name among girls that year.

1990peak 2018

share of that year’s births on record

Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)

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Canada

1 in 5,300

In Canada, 59 girls named Marley were born in 2024, the 501st most common name among girls that year.

1991peak 20082024

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)

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Ireland

1 in 7,700

In Ireland, 7 boys named Marley were born in 2025, the 468th most common name among boys that year.

2000peak 20182025

share of that year’s name registrations

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

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Chile

1 in 18,000

In Chile, 5 girls were registered as Marley in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
In Chile, 5 boys were registered as Marley in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.

1960peak 2013

share of that year’s name registrations

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

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Mexico City City

1 in 20,000

In Mexico City, there were 6 registrations of Marley in 2022.

2000peak 20122022

share of that year’s registrations in the city

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

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Brazil

1 in 37,000

At the 2022 census, 5,581 people in Brazil were named Marley, ranked 2,547th, with a median age of 38.
Among people named Marley living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1970s than in any other decade.

1930speak 1970s2010s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

The census also counted 129 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

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Austria

1 in 38,000

In Austria, 1 girl named Marley was born in 2025, ranked 1,875th among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
In Austria, 1 boy named Marley was born in 2025, ranked 1,842nd among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
The count never rose above 8 in a year, too few to chart.

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

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Spain

1 in 280,000

In Spain, 101 residents are named Marley, ranked 7,726th among women, with a mean age of 24.9 years.
In Spain, 59 residents are named Marley, ranked 12,718th among men, with a mean age of 9.7 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

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Argentina

1 in 330,000

In Argentina, 2 newborns were given the name Marley in 2024.

2012peak 20152024

share of that year’s name registrations

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

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Montevideo City

last on record 2010

Marley is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

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Poland

last on record 2017

Marley is not on the 2025 record for Poland, where names given fewer than 2 times in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.

First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)

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Puerto Rico

last on record 2011

Marley is not on the 2025 record for Puerto Rico, which withholds births under 5, and 5 babies have carried the name there since 1998.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.

First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)

See the full list for Puerto Rico →

Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Marley

Most people given the name Marley 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.

Names that fit alongside Marley

Addison Remington Harmony Harper Peyton Everleigh

Keep exploring

Names like Marley · Names that go with Marley · Names of music legends · Climbers and fallers

The Marley deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Marley 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 Marley fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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