| Marlowe | Indigo | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | remnants of a drained lake (place name) | Deep blue-purple dye |
| Origin | english | English |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Pronunciation | MAR-loh | IN-dih-goh |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1918 | 1971 |
| Peak year | 2025 (575) | 2025 (318) |
| In 2025 | 575 | 318 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Marlowe | Indigo |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,327 | 1,693 |
| 2010s | 1,872 | 1,148 |
| 2000s | 250 | 597 |
| 1990s | 77 | 565 |
| 1980s | 68 | 12 |
| 1970s | 68 | 5 |
| 1960s | 35 | 0 |
| 1950s | 6 | 0 |
| 1940s | 38 | 0 |
| 1930s | 33 | 0 |
| 1920s | 25 | 0 |
| 1910s | 6 | 0 |
An English habitational surname from Marlow in Buckinghamshire, from Old English 'mere' (lake, pool) + 'laf' (remnants, leavings), i.e. marshy ground left after a lake was drained. Often loosely glossed 'driftwood'. It also recalls the Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe.
Indigo names the deep blue-purple dye and colour, from the Greek for “Indian.”
Marlowe is more popular than Indigo today: about 575 US babies were given the name Marlowe in 2025, compared with 318 named Indigo.
Marlowe means remnants of a drained lake (place name) (english origin), while Indigo means Deep blue-purple dye (English origin).
In US records, Marlowe first appears in 1918 and Indigo in 1971, so Marlowe has the longer recorded history.