Marla
A shortened form of Marlene, which was itself a German contraction of Maria Magdalena. The Magdalena part identified Mary as a woman of Magdala.
Marla in 2025
Marla was given to 92 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 3,758th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 36,036 babies born.
The history of Marla
Marla reached its highest point in 1955, when 1,730 babies were given the name, ranking 358th that year.
Across the 114 years of records since 1912, 38,819 babies have been named Marla. Half of them were born before 1963, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Marla by decade
| Decade | Babies named Marla | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 16 | 4,811 |
| 1920s | 73 | 4,183 |
| 1930s | 699 | 943 |
| 1940s | 2,835 | 687 |
| 1950s | 11,452 | 358 |
| 1960s | 10,632 | 455 |
| 1970s | 6,618 | 495 |
| 1980s | 2,781 | 883 |
| 1990s | 1,616 | 1,418 |
| 2000s | 905 | 2,730 |
| 2010s | 710 | 3,909 |
| 2020s | 482 | 3,758 |
Where Marla is heading
Marla has risen 37% over the past decade, from 67 babies in 2015 to 92 in 2025.
Names like Marla
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Marla.