Marla

“Variant of Marlene — Modern coinage — blend of Maria and Magdalene” — Modern coinage origin

Girl's name · #2055 in the US (2025) · Heirloom

Marla is an heirloom: its strongest era came around 1955, when it ranked #193. It has thinned since but never left the records — about 39,000 girls since 1912, ranked #2055 today.

Around the world: about 1 in 1,300 girls in Switzerland (2024) · about 1 in 2,000 girls in Scotland (2025) · about 1 in 2,400 girls in N. Ireland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 9 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Marlas

Marla Maples — American actress and TV personality (born 1963)
Marla Gibbs — actress, entertainer, singer, writer, and producer (born 1931)
Marla Sokoloff — American actress
Marla Adams — American actress (1938–2024)
Marla English — American film actress (1935-2012)

In stories & tradition

Marla — Roseanne

What Marlas become

Among 83 notable people named Marla:

Entertainers appear 2.25× more often than among typical names — e.g. Marla Maples, American actress and TV personality (born 1963).

Similar names: Marlena · Arlene · Marlo · Darla · Pamela · Marilyn

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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