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According to the Social Security Administration’s latest data, Marjorie is one of the fastest-rising name for baby girls in the United States. The name jumped up 429 spots on the official popularity list from No. 1,251 in 2023 to No. 822 in 2024 ― making it the name with the third-biggest increase on the girls’ list.
“We often talk about the ‘100-Year Rule’ in naming, meaning that it takes about a century for a name to go from stylish to out-of-favor to fresh again,” Abby Sandel, the creator of the baby name blog Appellation Mountain, told HuffPost. “In that sense, a revival of the name Marjorie is right on time.”
Indeed, Marjorie peaked just over 100 years ago as the 16th most popular name for girls in the U.S. between 1921 and 1923. It sat in the Top 100 names from 1904 until the 1940s. The name eventually dropped off the Top 1,000 list in 1995 and then reappeared briefly from 2013 to 2017 before falling off again.
“Marjorie’s recent rise can be attributed to a couple of factors,” said Sophie Kihm, the editor-in-chief of Nameberry. “It has a sweet, vintage image and a bright, bouncy rhythm, much like Josephine, Eloise and Penelope, though Marjorie is much less common. Parents may be using it as an alternative to these more saturated names.”
She added that many new parents of today might choose the name to honor grandmothers named Marjorie.
There are also sonic factors at play. Sandel pointed to Americans’ long love for three-syllable names that end with an ‘ee’ sound for girls.
“Today it’s Avery, Delaney and Natalie,” she said. “We all probably know an adult named Emily, Brittany or Kimberly.”
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Names like Dorothy and Marjorie are vintage options that follow a similar pattern and flow. And in the case of Marjorie, you get a nice variation on the timeless classic Margaret.
“Marjorie sits in the cross section between more popular ‘M’ names like Magnolia, McKinley, Melody or Mallory, and more alternative three-syllable ‘M’ names like McKinleigh, McKenlee or McKinzie,” said baby name consultant Taylor Humphrey. “Its ‘ie’ ending gives it an air of preppiness and playfulness. It feels vibrant and youthful, while still maintaining a classic, familiar sound.”
She praised Marjorie’s sense of “casual approachability” and pizazz while still maintaining elegance and refinement. Humphrey also highlighted its place with popular syllable trends of late.
“Over the last two years, I’ve had multiple clients consider or use the name Mara,” she said. “I suspect we will continue to see rising popularity for other ‘Mar’ and ‘Ar’ names like Marjorie, Maria, Marla, Marlowe, Margot, Marion, Marilyn, Margaret, Amara, Amari, Arabella, Mary, Marley, Marianna, etc.”
But perhaps the biggest boost for Marjorie comes from Taylor Swift. The singer’s record-breaking Eras Tour prominently featured the song “Marjorie,” a track from her 2020 album Evermore that pays tribute to her opera singer grandmother, Marjorie Finlay.
“Marjorie was the third-fastest-rising girl name within the Top 1,000 between 2023 and 2024, which coincides with Swift’s Eras Tour,” Kihm said. “The Eras Tour had a lot of exposure during its year-and-a-half-long run, and some parents were likely influenced by Swift secondhand ― after hearing the name Marjorie in the zeitgeist, chose the name without making an overt reference to Swift.”
She added that other parents might’ve chosen the name intentionally for its ties to Swift.
“I have no doubt that the Taylor Swift Effect is at play with the name Marjorie,” Humphrey said. “Other names mentioned in her songs, like Willow and August, have seen an increase in popularity since the eponymous song titles’ release in 2020.”
Other names from Eras song titles that rose in popularity between 2023 and 2024 include Archer and Lavender.
“We love names from song titles ― think of Layla, Jude, or Iris, to name just a few,” Sandel said. “But it’s more than that. Swift’s song is about her late grandmother. Plenty of 30-something women have a beloved grandmother Marjorie, too, so it’s a mix of generational change and a reminder of the name’s considerable appeal.”
She also pointed to the potential influence of Game of Thrones.
“Natalie Dormer’s character Margaery Tyrell gets some credit, too,” Sandel said. “After all, Khaleesi is still a Top 1000 name in the U.S., all these years after the show ended.”
However, the name Marjorie also carries more complicated associations in today’s culture.
“Marjorie faces a crosswind ― controversial politician Marjorie Taylor Greene,” Sandel said. “While our worldviews influence the names we choose, relatively few American parents name their children for politicians today.”
Kihm noted that Nameberry posts about the name Marjorie tend to get pushback for this reason.
“Many people associate it with Marjorie Taylor Greene and don’t understand why parents would want to use a name tied to a controversial figure,” she said. “So the fact that Marjorie has managed to rise so quickly despite this really speaks to Swift’s power and influence.”
There are many other names with the same vibe as Marjorie for siblings ― or as alternative options if the specific pop culture and political associations of the name put you off.
“I could imagine these names on a baby name list alongside Marjorie,” Humphrey said, giving options like Annie, Hazel, Charlotte, Eleanor, Willa, Juniper, Susannah and Virginia for girls and Silas, Warren, Boone, Bradley, George, Harlan and Baylor for boys.
Ultimately, Marjorie’s rise is a reminder that most names never truly disappear ― they just wait for the right moment, or the right cultural spark, to shine again.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.