Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Marleigh

Marleigh is a more fanciful Americanized form of Marley. Marley is the transferred use of a long-established English surname of Anglo-Saxon origins and derived from a place name. The Olde English elements “mearth” meaning “marten” plus “lēah” meaning “wood clearing” gave birth to the location name Marley (most likely describing an area overrun with martens). A marten is a short-legged, bushy-tailed animal that lives in northern forests and trees. There are several places called Marley in England (e.g., Devon, Kent and West Yorkshire). Alternately, some etymologies believe that Marley originated as a nickname, from the Olde English word “myrig” meaning “pleasant” (describing a person’s general disposition). As a surname, Marley dates back to the 12th century, but usage of Marley as a given name (primarily female) began in the United States at the end of the 20th century. This may have been influenced by the reggae musician and Jamaican singer Bob Marley (1945-1981). Later Marley’s popularity as a given name was cemented by a popular book-turned-Hollywood-film called “Marley & Me” (2008). No surprise, Marley is also a common name for dogs.

All About the Baby Name – Marleigh

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME MARLEIGH

The number one personality is a leader - strong and competitive. They are willing to initiate action and take risks. One personalities work hard toward their endeavors and have the ability to apply their creative and innovative thinking skills with strong determination. They believe in their ability to succeed and are too stubborn to be hindered by obstacles. Ones meet obstacles head-on with such mental vigor and energy that you better step aside. They resent taking orders, so don't try telling them what to do either. This is an intensely active personality, but they are also known as starters rather than finishers. They have a propensity to become bored and will move quickly to the next project if not properly challenged.  They are the ones to think up and put into action new and brilliant ideas, but they are not the ones to stick around and manage them. This personality has an enthusiastic and pioneering spirit. They are distinctly original.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME MARLEIGH

Marleigh is the fancy-pants version of Marley. Also, since Marley is generally considered unisex, Marleigh was probably respelled in an effort to make the name look more feminine. In any case, Marleigh first appeared on the U.S. female naming charts in 2009. Marleigh also LAST appeared on the U.S. female naming charts in 2009. In other words, this is not a very popular spelling of Marley. Many parents find it just a tad bit too elaborate.

Quick Facts

ON MARLEIGH

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

American

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

970

PRONUNCIATION:

MAHR-lee

SIMPLE MEANING:

Marten wood clearing, Pleasant

Characteristics

OF MARLEIGH

Independent

Individualistic

Ambitious

Strong-willed

Inventive

Successful

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Marleigh

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME MARLEIGH

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Marleigh

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME MARLEIGH

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Marleigh


Popular Songs

ON MARLEIGH

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Marleigh


Famous People

NAMED MARLEIGH

We cannot find any celebrities or significantly famous people with the first name Marleigh.

Children of Famous People

NAMED MARLEIGH

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Marleigh

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME MARLEIGH

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Marleigh