How to say it
MAR · ley
/ˈmɑːr.li/
Unisex
Marley
Boundary wood, pleasant clearing
What it means
An English place and surname name, a 'boundary clearing' or 'marten wood,' from Old English.
Marley is an English place-name surname, a wood or clearing marked by a boundary or by martens. It is impossible to separate from Bob Marley, whose surname carries most of the name's warmth and rhythm today, and the weepy dog of Marley & Me added a softer note. It runs unisex, currently leaning feminine. Charles Dickens used it long ago for the ghost of Jacob Marley. Marlee is the common alternate spelling.
Popularity over time
Feminine: peaked at #145 in 2008, currently #322 in 2025.
Masculine: peaked at #766 in 2008, currently #1397 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Worth knowing
Unisex, leaning feminine; Bob Marley and Marley & Me are the touchstones.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Bob Marley reggae musician whose surname drives the name's appeal
Spelling variants
- Marlee
- Marleigh
- Marly
Names with the same feeling
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By style