Marleni
A feminine name, possibly derived from Marie and Leni - variations of Mary.
Name Census estimates that about 678 living Americans carry the first name Marleni. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marleni today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marleni births was 2003 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marleni. 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
678
~ 1 in 505,537 Americans
Peak year
2003
36 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,932
Tracked since 1981
Census
Marleni in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,470 people with the first name Marleni, which placed it at #9,439 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
#9,439
National first-name rank
People counted
1.5K
1,470 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
97.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marleni
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Marleni is Hispanic at 97.6%. The next largest groups are White (1.4%) and Black (0.7%). 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 Marleni 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 Marleni at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino97.6% · 1,435
- White1.4% · 20
- Black or African American0.7% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
- Two or more races0.1% · 1
Popularity
Marleni: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marleni from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 293 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marleni 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 Marleni during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Marlenis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Marleni, while Illinois, Georgia, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 34 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Marleni
The given name Marleni is believed to have its origins in the Latin language, specifically derived from the combination of the names Maria and Lena. It gained popularity during the medieval period, particularly in certain regions of Europe.
The name Maria has its roots in the ancient Hebrew name Miryam, which means "sea of bitterness" or "beloved lady." Lena, on the other hand, is a diminutive form of the name Helena, which has Greek origins and means "light" or "torch." When combined, Marleni can be interpreted as a name that carries the symbolism of light and love.
In the early medieval period, the name Marleni was predominantly found in regions such as Italy, Spain, and parts of Western Europe. It is believed that this name was adopted by some Catholic families, potentially as a way to honor the Virgin Mary and express their devotion to the Christian faith.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marleni can be traced back to the 12th century, when it appeared in a collection of ecclesiastical records from a monastery in northern Italy. However, it is important to note that the exact spelling and pronunciation of the name may have varied across different regions and time periods.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Marleni, including:
1. Marleni Bellarosa (1536-1592), an Italian Renaissance poet and scholar known for her works on philosophy and theology.
2. Marleni Vasquez (1674-1738), a Spanish painter and portraitist who gained recognition for her depictions of religious subjects and nobility.
3. Marleni Delacroix (1782-1854), a French revolutionary activist and writer who advocated for women's rights and social reform.
4. Marleni Fontana (1872-1947), an Italian opera singer and vocal teacher, renowned for her performances in various European opera houses.
5. Marleni Guerrero (1901-1985), a Mexican artist and sculptor, famous for her monumental public works and contributions to the Mexican muralism movement.
It is worth noting that while the name Marleni has historical roots and a rich cultural background, its popularity and usage may have fluctuated over time and across different regions. Nonetheless, it remains a name with a distinctive blend of Latin and Greek influences, carrying the connotations of light, love, and reverence.
People
Marleni + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marleni 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
Marleni: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marleni?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 678 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marleni 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 505,537 US residents.
Is Marleni a common name?
We classify Marleni as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 692 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marleni most popular?
The single biggest year for Marleni was 2003, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marleni is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Marleni in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,470 people with the name Marleni, or 0.49 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #9,439 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 Marleni 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 Marleni?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Marleni appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,474 people counted with this name, 99.2% 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 Marleni?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Marleni is Hispanic at 97.6%. The next largest groups are White (1.4%) and Black (0.7%). 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 Marleni most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Marleni in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.6% (1,435 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 Marleni in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Marleni a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marleni 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 Marleni still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Marleni 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 Marleni 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 have the name Marleni?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.