Marlin
Literal root meaning: “sea-hill”
About the name Marlin
Marlin is a boy name with Proto-Brythonic roots, literally “sea-hill”. It is related to Merlin, which is where the meaning comes from.
It has a unique, nature feel. In 2025, Marlin ranked #1788 for boys in the US, with 90 babies given the name. Its peak year since 1940 was 1941. Since 2000, 78% of US babies named Marlin were boys.
Etymology
A variant of Merlin, which comes from Proto-Brythonic, meaning literally “sea-hill”.
Name meaning adapted from Wiktionary (“Marlin”, “Merlin”) by Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- US rank 2025
- #1788
- In 2015
- #1820
- Babies in 2025
- 90
Popularity of Marlin, 1940–2025
Latest SSA data: 2025.
Popularity data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby names (public domain; names given to at least 5 babies of one sex per year).
Names similar to Marlin
Name meanings marked or linked “Wiktionary” are adapted from Wiktionary by Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; each name page links its source entry.