Thirty years of Marley
Marley in numbers
Marley has risen from 50 boys in 1996 to 395 in 2025, though it is below its peak of 481 in 2009. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2006 and 2009, from 208 to 481. On average it was given to 61 boys a year in the late 1990s, 189 in the 2000s, 313 in the 2010s and 420 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year-10%441 to 395
- 5 years+0%395 to 395
- 10 years+40%283 to 395
- 20 years+152%157 to 395
- Since 1996×850 to 395
- Total, 1996 to 20257,783boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 125 · ONS · 441 in 2024
Rank 208 · NRS · 16 in 2024
Rank 237 · NISRA · 4 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 125 | 395 | -10% | 1 in 761 |
| 2024 | =121 | 441 | +8% | 1 in 692 |
| 2023 | =131 | 410 | -6% | 1 in 739 |
| 2022 | 128 | 437 | -2% | 1 in 711 |
| 2021 | 129 | 444 | +12% | 1 in 721 |
| 2020 | 142 | 395 | +40% | 1 in 796 |
| 2019 | =186 | 282 | -4% | 1 in 1,167 |
| 2018 | 179 | 294 | -7% | 1 in 1,148 |
| 2017 | =177 | 315 | +6% | 1 in 1,105 |
| 2016 * | =188 | 297 | +5% | 1 in 1,199 |
| 2015 | =204 | 283 | -3% | 1 in 1,265 |
| 2014 | =193 | 292 | -3% | 1 in 1,222 |
| 2013 | =185 | 302 | -12% | 1 in 1,187 |
| 2012 | 169 | 345 | -8% | 1 in 1,085 |
| 2011 | 157 | 376 | +8% | 1 in 987 |
| 2010 | 160 | 348 | -28% | 1 in 1,066 |
| 2009 | 124 | 481 | +61% | 1 in 753 |
| 2008 | =168 | 299 | +44% | 1 in 1,214 |
| 2007 | =219 | 208 | +0% | 1 in 1,704 |
| 2006 | 204 | 208 | +32% | 1 in 1,646 |
| 2005 | 226 | 157 | +20% | 1 in 2,106 |
| 2004 | 252 | 131 | +4% | 1 in 2,506 |
| 2003 | =249 | 126 | +56% | 1 in 2,527 |
| 2002 | =325 | 81 | -10% | 1 in 3,778 |
| 2001 | 304 | 90 | -13% | 1 in 3,385 |
| 2000 | =268 | 104 | +42% | 1 in 2,977 |
| 1999 | =341 | 73 | +26% | 1 in 4,373 |
| 1998 | =386 | 58 | -5% | 1 in 5,619 |
| 1997 | =375 | 61 | +22% | 1 in 5,403 |
| 1996 | =414 | 50 | 1 in 6,670 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Marley
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Marley is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate