Marlaina
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from Maria or Marilyn.
Name Census estimates that about 1,319 living Americans carry the first name Marlaina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marlaina today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marlaina births was 1986 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marlaina. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 259,859 Americans
Peak year
1986
47 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,755
Tracked since 1953
Census
Marlaina in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,189 people with the first name Marlaina, which placed it at #10,977 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#10,977
National first-name rank
People counted
1.2K
1,189 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
70.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marlaina
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Marlaina is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.9%) and Black (10.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Marlaina described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Marlaina at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.8% · 842
- Hispanic or Latino12.9% · 153
- Black or African American10.2% · 121
- Two or more races4.5% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 5
Popularity
Marlaina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marlaina from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 354 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marlaina by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Marlaina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Marlainas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Pennsylvania, New York recorded the most babies named Marlaina, while Texas, New Jersey, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Marlaina
The name Marlaina finds its origins in the Latin language and is a feminine form of the male name Marlanus. The name Marlanus itself is derived from the Latin word 'marinus', meaning 'of the sea' or 'marine'. This suggests that the name Marlaina was likely originally borne by individuals with some connection to the sea, such as those living in coastal regions or engaged in maritime activities.
The earliest recorded use of the name Marlaina can be traced back to the Middle Ages in various regions of Europe. It appeared in medieval records and documents, particularly in areas with strong Latin cultural influences, such as Italy, Spain, and parts of France.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Marlaina was a noble woman from the 12th century who lived in the northern Italian city of Genoa. Her full name was Marlaina di Genova, and she was known for her patronage of the arts and her support of local artisans.
In the 14th century, a Spanish noblewoman named Marlaina de Castilla was recorded in historical documents as a prominent figure at the court of King Alfonso XI of Castile. She was known for her intelligence and diplomatic skills, serving as an advisor to the king on matters of state.
During the Renaissance period, the name Marlaina gained popularity among the upper classes in various European countries. One notable figure was Marlaina Sforza, an Italian noblewoman born in 1458 who was known for her patronage of the arts and her influential role in the court of Milan.
In the 17th century, a French woman named Marlaina Duval (1623-1697) gained recognition as a skilled embroiderer and textile artist. Her intricate needlework was highly sought after by the French nobility, and her works can still be found in various museums and private collections.
Another historically significant figure was Marlaina Vásquez (1792-1868), a Spanish painter and illustrator who was one of the few women of her time to achieve recognition in the art world. Her paintings, often depicting scenes from Spanish folklore and daily life, have been celebrated for their vibrant colors and attention to detail.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Marlaina throughout history, showcasing its diverse cultural roots and the various contexts in which it has been used over the centuries.
People
Marlaina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marlaina as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Marlaina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marlaina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,319 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marlaina going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 259,859 US residents.
Is Marlaina a common name?
We classify Marlaina as "Rare". It ranks above 91.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,386 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marlaina most popular?
The single biggest year for Marlaina was 1986, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marlaina is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Marlaina in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,189 people with the name Marlaina, or 0.39 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,977 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Marlaina in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Marlaina?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Marlaina appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,181 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Marlaina?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Marlaina is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.9%) and Black (10.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Marlaina most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Marlaina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.8% (842 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Marlaina in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Marlaina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marlaina in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Marlaina still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Marlaina in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Marlaina can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Marlaina?
Want to know how many people share the name Marlaina? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.