76%RatingSave Gender Feminine & Masculine Usage English (Modern) Pronounced Pron. MAHR-lee [key·IPA] Meaning & History From an English surname that was taken from a place name meaning either "pleasant wood", "boundary wood" or "marten wood" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the Jamaican musician Bob Marley (1945-1981). Related NamesFamily Tree·Details VariantsMarlee, Marly PopularityDetails Last ranked #129 in 2021 (m) #348 in 2021 (f) England and Wales Last ranked #217 in 2021 France Last ranked #157 in 2022 (f) #498 in 2022 (m) Netherlands Last ranked #90 in 2021 New Zealand Last ranked #277 in 2022 (f) #938 in 2020 (m) United States People think this name isRate·Details modern youthful informal natural wholesome strong strange Categories animals, feelings, happiness, isograms, modern English, nature, pet names, Pokemon characters, surnames, trees