Sunday, June 1, 2025

NAME OF THE DAY: Marilyn

The legendary Marilyn Monroe's πŸŽ‰birthday is today and so I will be covering the much celebrated name: πŸ“›Marilyn.   

When most people think of a Marilyn, they think of iconic actress Marilyn Monroe without question. How could you not? Even after her death (RIP), over sixty years later, she is still considered the standard of beauty 😍 and a sex πŸ₯΅ symbol no one will ever replicate. Marilyn Monroe not only had that 'je ne sais quoi' but her name did too. Her stage name was perfection. Norma Monroe even, does not have the same ring to it like, Marilyn Monroe. Monroe's birth name was a bland: πŸ“›Norma Jeane Mortenson (later she was baptized as Norma Jeane Baker).  

The name πŸ“›Marilyn is a combination of Mary and the common name suffix lyn. Marilyn was a rare name before the beginning of the 20th century, Behind the Name says. In 1936, the name Marilyn was the 13th most popular name for girls. Before Marilyn Monroe popularized it, Marilyn Miller (whose real name was Mary Ellen Reynolds) did. Miller was a Broadway star who movie studio executive Ben Lyon said Monroe reminded him of, which is how Monroe got the name Marilyn as her stage name. On the flip side, another well-known actress Kim Novak was born Marilyn Pauline Novak.  

Nameberry reports that Marilyn is the 666th most popular name for baby girls in 2024. My Name Stats states πŸ“California is the state with the most women named Marilyn, which is fitting as that is where Marilyn Monroe was born. 

I'm a fan of the name πŸ“›Marilyn more so because I'm a fan of Marilyn Monroe I admit. 🀷🏾‍♀️ Although charming, there's certainly nothing fancy about the name Marilyn in itself, today it sounds outdated even. It's actually kind of plain... to be honest. πŸ€” But Monroe wore Marilyn and wore it well. The memorable Monroe surname (from Marilyn's mother's family side) definitely helped give oomph! to Marilyn. I think if Marilyn had been named even the terrible name πŸ“›Bertha (sorry Berthas!), I'd like the name Bertha! πŸ˜…  

I've met just two Marilyns so far in my life. The first πŸ“›Marilyn was a classmate in middle school, who certainly did not 'look like a Marilyn' as she was petite/nerdy. The second πŸ“›Marilyn I met was a customer (an older woman) at a bookstore I worked at. When she gave me her name to either use her membership card or get one, I saw the name Marilyn and remarked she had a nice name and how I love Marilyn Monroe. She was flattered, thanked me and remarked something how Marilyn wasn't as common as it used to be. I believe I agreed with her.

The vintage name Marilyn will continue to live on for a long time to come, simply because of the "Marilyn Monroe Effect" πŸ’‹  and that's a good thing! 


πŸ“ŒπŸ‘€Reddit πŸ“›namenerds πŸ‘Œ Community Thread: "Marilyn... but for a boy?" πŸ‘ΆπŸ’™ 

https://www.reddit.com/r/namenerds/comments/an27hi/marilyn_but_for_a_boy/


FAMOUS πŸ“NOTEWORTHY πŸ“›MARILYNS:

πŸ“›Marilyn Manson 🀘🏻🌟 (rock musician born ➡️Brian Warner)  

πŸ“›Marilyn Mosby πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡² / ⚖ (politician & lawyer) 

πŸ“›Marilyn Strickland πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡² (politician)

πŸ“›Marilyn Tavenner πŸ₯ (healthcare executive) 

πŸ“›Marilyn Horne 🎀 (opera singer)

πŸ“›Marilyn Valderrama πŸ‘©‍❤️‍πŸ‘¨ (sister of actor Wilmer Valderrama)

πŸ“›Marilyn Monru 🎡 (TikTok content creator)   

πŸ“›Marilyn Granas πŸŽ₯ (actress)   

πŸ“›"Marilyn Chambers" πŸ”žπŸŽ¬⭐ (adult film star born➡️ Marilyn Anne Briggs)

πŸ“›Marilyn Denis πŸ“ΊπŸŽ€ /πŸŽ™πŸ“» (former t.v. show host & radio personality)

πŸ“›Marilyn Hardy πŸ“• (author)


πŸ“ŒSTATS ON THE NAME πŸ“›Marilyn:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/M/MA/MARILYN/index.html


πŸ“›IRN RATING OF πŸ“›Marilyn: πŸ‘ OR πŸ’“πŸ’“πŸ’“πŸ’“πŸ’“πŸ’“πŸ’“πŸ’“πŸ’“πŸ’“/10 

The Best New Names in the US Top 1000: Curated by Nameberry

πŸ“› N a m e berry πŸ’  breaks down the best new names in the US Top 1000 after the Top 10 Baby Names of 2025 was recently released by the Soc...