Marlene \m(a)-rle-ne, mar-lene\ as a girl's name is pronounced mar-LEEN, mar-LYNE, mar-LAY-nah. It is of German origin. Blend of the names Maria (Latin) "star of the sea" and Magdalene (Greek) "from Magdala", to honor the Christian Biblical figure Mary Magdalene. Marlene Dietrich made the name familiar in the 1920s. Some contemporary names are spelled phonetically to ensure the desired pronunciation. Actresses Marlee Matlin, Marley Shelton.

Marlene has 23 variant forms: Marla, Marlaina, Marlana, Marlane, Marlayna, Marlayne, Marlea, Marlee, Marleen, Marleena, Marleene, Marleina, Marlen, Marlena, Marleni, Marley, Marlie, Marlin, Marlina, Marline, Marlyn, Marlynne and Marna.

For more information, see also related names Arlene, Jolene, Lena, Marlo and Madeline.

Baby names that sound like Marlene are Marlyne, Marilene, Marlenne, Marlenn and Myrlene.