Origin and meaning
Marilyn is a blend of the English given names Mary and Lynn. It began to be used in the 1920s, and it reached its peak of popularity in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Variants of the name includes: Maralyn, Marilynn, Marlyn, Marylyn, Marrilyn, Merilyn, Merrelyn and Merrilyn.
Notable people with the name include:
Marilyn (singer) (born 1962), British entertainerMarilyn Agliotti (born 1979), Dutch-South African field hockey playerMarilyn Bergman (born 1929), American composer, songwriter and authorMarilyn Borden (1932–2009), American singer and actressMarilyn Brick, Canadian politicianMarilyn Chambers (1952–2009), American pornographic actressMarilyn Cole (born 1949), Playboy magazine's January 1972 Playmate of the MonthMarilyn French (1929–2009), American authorMarilyn Hacker (born 1942), American poet, critic and reviewerMarilyn Horne (born 1934), American opera singerMarilyn Maxwell (1921–1972), American actressMarilyn McCoo (born 1943), American singer and actressMarilyn Milian (born 1961), judge on the television show The People's CourtMarilyn Miller (1898–1936), Broadway performerMarilyn Monroe (1926–1962), American actressMarilyn Quayle (born 1949), American lawyer, author and Second Lady of the United StatesMarilyn Ramenofsky (born 1946), American freestyle swimmerMarilyn Scott (born 1949), American singerMarilyn Singer (born 1948), American author of children's booksMarilyn vos Savant (born 1946), American columnist and authorMarilyn Waltz (1931-2006), Playboy magazine's February 1954, April 1954, April 1955 Playmate of the MonthMarilyn Wilson-Rutherford (born 1947), American singerMarilyn Ziering, an American business executive and philanthropist from Los Angeles, CaliforniaThe American musician and artist Brian Hugh Warner goes by the stage name Marilyn Manson. His stage name was formed by juxtaposing the names of two opposing American pop cultural icons, actress Marilyn Monroe and cult leader Charles Manson; as an actual given name, Marilyn is not used as a male name.
Marilyn Whirlwind, a character in the Northern Exposure TV series