Marlene

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

Girl's name · #1261 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Marlene has appeared in US records since 1904 — best rank #39 (1935) · 130,573 babies named Marlene all-time · 1 in 9,100 girls born in 2025.

Around the world: #48 in Austria (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 13 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Marlenes

Marlene Dietrich — German and American actress and singer (1901–1992)
Marlene Dumas — South African painter and draftsperson (born 1953)
Marlene Favela — Mexican model and actress
Marlene Schmidt — German actress
Marlene Ahrens — Chilean athletics competitor (1933–2020)

In stories & tradition

Marlene McKinnon — Harry Potter
Marlene Alraune — fictional human
Marlene Kratz — Neighbours

What Marlenes become

Among 615 notable people named Marlene:

Medical professionals appear 2.03× more often than among typical names — e.g. Marlene Dobkin de Rios, American anthropologist and psychotherapist (1939-2012).

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