Ready for a week’s worth of names related to actor Marlon Brando?
Let’s kick things off with Marlon Brando’s first name.
The name Marlon has been given to U.S. babies (both boys and girls) for many years, but it didn’t crack the top 1,000 (for boys) until 1950:
- 1952: 98 baby boys named Marlon [rank: 711th]
- 1951: 69 baby boys named Marlon [rank: 846th]
- 1950: 52 baby boys named Marlon [rank: 968th]
- 1949: 36 baby boys named Marlon
- 1948: 27 baby boys named Marlon
This was the year Marlon Brando began appearing on the big screen, first in The Men (1950), then in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Viva Zapata! (1952), Julius Caesar (1953) and On the Waterfront (1954).
Usage of the name has spiked twice so far:
- The first spike was in 1955, when it became the 344th most popular boy name. This was thanks to On The Waterfront, for which Brando won the Oscar for Best Actor.
- The second spike was in 1972, when it became the 218th most popular boy name. The Godfather (1972) — for which Brando won (but rejected!) the Oscar for Best Actor — was probably an influence, but I’m guessing the stronger influence was Marlon Jackson of The Jackson 5.
In 2009, the name Marlon was given to 374 baby boys and ranked 656th in the U.S.
What are your thoughts on this name?
Image: © 1954 Columbia Pictures