Marlowe

MAHR-lo

Variation of Marlow, English

"driftwood"

Marlowe Origin and Meaning

The name Marlowe is a girl's name of English origin meaning "driftwood".

Marlowe is very much in the air, with its lovely -o ending and the modern twist it offers on the likes of Margaret, Margot, Martha, and Marlene. But is it Marlowe, Marlow, or Marlo? Well, for a girl in the US at least, it's probably Marlowe, with this spelling the only one to appear in the Top 1000.

With the intriguing meaning "driftwood", Marlowe was one of the fastest rising names of 2024 in the US, when it was given to more than 475 girls. It also rose slightly for boys, however, 90% of all Marlowes born were assigned female.

As for Marlo and Marlowe, they also saw a small increase in used for girls 75% and 55% of the time respectively. It is worth noting however, that Marlo and Marlow rank in the UK Top 1000 for boys, so ne sure to check the stats where you are.

Marlowe is, of course, a popular surname, going back to sixteen century poet and playwright Christopher and also exemplified by iconic Raymond Chandler private eye Philip.

The name first achieved prominence when Margaret Julia Thomas aka That Girl became known by her nickname Marlo. More recently, Jason Schwartzman used the e-ending version for his young daughter, Marlowe Rivers, as did Sienna Miller for her baby girl Marlowe Ottoline. 

Marlowe Rank in US Top 1000

# 624 in the US

Marlowe Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 198 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Marlowe

• 624 US 2024
• 198 Nameberry 2025
• 53 Unique 2019
• 158 Unisex 2023
• 547 Future 2028
• 641 England 2023

20 Names Similar to Marlowe

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Marlowe.

• Romy
• Marlow
• Rory
• Jovie
• Sloane
• Fallon
• Ellis
• Scout
• Bellamy
• Holland
• Hollis
• Waverly
• Jude
• Indie
• Lennon
• Greer
• Sutton
• Arlo
• Rowan
• Monroe

Famous People Named Marlowe

• Marlowe Peyton American actress
• Marlowe Rivers Schwartzman (b. 2010) daughter of actor Jason Schwartzman
• Marlowe Monroe Bratcher (b. 2014) daughter of actress Jenna von Oy and Brad Bratcher
• Marlowe Mae Martino (b. 2014) daughter of soccer player and actress Kyle and Eva Amurri Martino
• Marlowe Masterson Stowell (b. 2015) daughter of actress Alanna Masterson and photographer Brick Stowell

The name Marlowe in Pop Culture

• Marlowe Lassiter wife of main character Carlton Lassiter on TV's "Psych"
• Katherine Marlowe character in "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception"
• Lucien Marlowe genderqueer character in the webcomic "Riverside Extras" by Miri Chamberlain