Marlin

Where Marlin comes from

The dictionaries list Marlin as a given name — a male given name, variant of Merlin — but don't trace where it came from. The record below is what the SSA data shows.

Along the way
  1. 1884
    First appearance
    #848 among boys, 6 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1905
    Marlin Perkins born
    American zoologist
  3. 1935
    Peak, #276
    386 babies named Marlin — more than any year before or since.
  4. 1967
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #571.
  5. 1976
    Marlin Stutzman born
    American politician
In the dictionary
  • A male given name, variant of Merlin.
Namesakes
  • Marlin Stutzman · American politician, born 1976
  • Marlin Perkins · American zoologist, 1905–1986
  • Marlin Fitzwater · White House Press Secretary, born 1942
  • Marlin Skiles · American composer, 1906–1981
  • Marlin Hurt · American entertainer, 1905–1946

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.