girl's name · in the US
Marlowe
MAR-loh (English)
- Origin English
- Gender Girl (US)
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 7,954
the United States
#523
2025 births
Marlowe is a unisex name from an English surname, usually traced to Marlow in Buckinghamshire. The place name is explained as Old English for "land left after a lake drained," often shortened to "driftwood," and it's now used mainly for American girls.
- Marlowe is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 611 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 5,426 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Marlowe started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- First appears in US birth records in 1912.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Marlowe Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 100 |
| 1920s | 186 |
| 1930s | 213 |
| 1940s | 168 |
| 1950s | 181 |
| 1960s | 170 |
| 1970s | 230 |
| 1980s | 143 |
| 1990s | 158 |
| 2000s | 348 |
| 2010s | 2,051 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,519 |
What Marlowe Means
Marlowe means the remains of a lake, a description of the land near the Thames at Marlow. The familiar driftwood gloss is a loose version of the same phrase, and the name suggests water and quiet landscape.
Where Marlowe Comes From
Old English mere, a lake or pool, joined lāf, what is left, in the place name Marlow, recorded in the eleventh century. Surnames arose from people connected with the town, with spellings such as Marlow, Marlowe and Marlo. House of Names reports a separate link with Morlaix in Brittany, a less accepted account. Christopher Marlowe, the Elizabethan playwright of Doctor Faustus, made the -e spelling famous. Raymond Chandler gave it a darker glamour with Philip Marlowe, the private detective of The Big Sleep. As a girl's name in the United States it has a much shorter history.
Marlowe in Use
Actress Sienna Miller named her daughter Marlowe, one of several celebrity choices that lifted the name. Marlo and Marlow are alternate spellings.
How Popular Is Marlowe?
In 2025, Marlowe was given to 611 babies in the United States, ranking #523 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Marlowe Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Marlowe
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Marlowe Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Marlowe over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Boys' or Girls' Name?
Marlowe is used differently depending on where you are. Each figure is the share of babies given the name who were girls, over the last ten years of that country's records.
- United States Girls' 92% girls · 3,614 babies
- England & Wales Both 73% girls · 720 babies
- Canada Girls' 95% girls · 390 babies
How to Say Marlowe
- English MAR-loh
Marlowe in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling Names for Marlowe
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Marlowe — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Marlowe
What does the name Marlowe mean?
Remnants of a lake, from an Old English place name, often given as driftwood.
Is Marlowe a boy's or a girl's name?
It's unisex, and in the United States it's now mainly a girl's name.
Who is Marlowe named after?
Parents often think of playwright Christopher Marlowe or detective Philip Marlowe.
How popular is the name Marlowe?
In 2025, Marlowe was given to 611 babies in the United States, ranking #523 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
How many syllables are in Marlowe?
Marlowe has 2 syllables.
When was Marlowe most popular?
Marlowe peaked in 2025, when 611 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Marlowe a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Marlowe currently ranks #523 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.