Marley

In the United States Marley is a relatively new coinage. It began as a girl’s name in 1994 and very slowly climbed the charts until jumping forward almost 250 positions in one year alone. That year was 2008; the peak-popularity achieved by Marley at position #143 on the female naming charts. Not surprisingly, 2008 was the year the film “Marley & Me” was released starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston about a rascally and lovable Labrador retriever named Marley. 2008 is also the first year that Marley appeared on the boy’s naming chart, making this name officially unisex. Although, it should be noted, American parents are ten-times more likely to give this name to their little girls vs. boys. At this point, we expect Marley to become almost entirely female within the next few years – not to mention that several variations have been created for girls such as Marlee, Marleigh and Marlie. These new respellings take the name farther away from its original reggae roots or from the sweet dog that would later inspire the name further up the charts. In more recent years, however, Marley has seen more significant drops in usage suggesting it may have been a fleeting fad. One other thing to consider before choosing this name: Marley (like Riley, Bailey, Daisy) is a very common dog’s name. You're still more likely to find a higher number of Marleys at your local kennel than at your local schoolyard.