I'm surprised no one has mentioned Marlon Wayans here. An African-American actor, writer and comedian who did a lot of notable work during the early 2000s. He's the guy that did White Chicks (a mockery film about rich white girls), with his brother, Shawn Wayans.
This name has a really smooth sound and it surprises me it hasn’t gained a ton of popularity in recent years. Outside of a few athletes I’ve never heard this name anywhere. I hope the name maintains its unique status but I think it will definitely gain in popularity very soon. Definitely one of the best “American” or “Made Up” names.
The name Marlon was given to 283 boys born in the US in 2016. More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Marlon are male.
― Anonymous User 6/7/2017
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This is one of my favorite names at the moment, I wish it wasn't so associated with Marlon Brando. It's not that I dislike him but I wouldn't want to name my child Madonna or Hermione or Gandalf or something that makes most people think of a specific person. But that said, a lot of people are named Marlon so I'll definitely use it, I just wish more famous people were named Marlon so that Marlon Brando wasn't the first person that most people think of when they hear it. I wish it were as common as Robert or John.
Marlon pronounced MAR-lon. English in origin or possibly (Old French) "little hawk", and/or may be a variation of Merlin. Popularized by actor Marlon Brando in the modern day. - a boy's name (also used as girl's name Marlon)
Marlon Brando, (1924 – 2004) was an American actor famous for his work in the films "A Streetcar Named Desire", "On the Waterfront" and "The Godfather", among many.
Marlon may find its origins in the Old French word, "merlin", meaning, "little hawk", or is possibly a variant of, Marcellus, which is the root name for, "Marc", as cited in the BTN listing. But it should be noted that "Marlon" and "Merlin" do not share their roots with "Marlin", which is short for "marlinspike", a sailor's tool.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6N4S-G26N
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6NTH-RZTP