Languages: This girl's name is used in German and English.

Nicknames: Marlie, Marlo and Marlee

Alternative Spellings: Marleen and Marline

Variant Forms: Marla, Marleah, Marlena, Marlyn, Marlyne and Merlene

Non-English Forms: Marila

Popularity: The name Marlene ranked 525th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 240th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.

Narrative: It was created as a blend of the names Maria and Magdalene, to honor the Christian Biblical figure Mary Magdalene.

This name has its origins in German, where it is always a three-syllable name (pronounced mar-LAY-nuh). English speakers who have adopted it often pronounce it in two syllables (as mar-LEEN).