Arlen
Masculine · “pledge”
Arlen is given to both — 7,345 boys and 809 girls since 1880. See Arlen as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Arlen is an Irish surname anglicized, and the root behind Ó hArgalláin may be argal — a pledge, or a dispute, depending on which reading of the word you take.
How old is the name Arlen?
Arlen first appears in US birth records in 1909 — 116 years ago. The typical Arlen alive today was born around 1954, making them about 71 years old. About 4,500 people named Arlen are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Arlen most popular?
Arlen peaked in 1934, reaching #380 nationally. Today it ranks #1585, 1,205 places below that high. See the whole 1934 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From argal to Arlen
The story of Arlen
Ó hArgalláin was a Roscommon surname, anglicized in several ways. Arlen entered American given-name use in the twentieth century — Harold Arlen, who wrote Over the Rainbow, carried it as a chosen surname. It appears in the American registers steadily and is in current use, most strongly in the Midwest.
Meaningscholars disagree
pledge; oath
Usually read from the Irish Ó hArgalláin, anglicized as Arlen and Harlin, whose root argal has been given as both 'pledge' and 'contention'. A second route derives Arlen from the Germanic ar, 'eagle', with a diminutive. Neither is settled.
How the name formed
- argal
- Ó hArgalláin
- Arlen
Related forms: Ó hArgalláin · Arlan · Arlin
Pronouncing Arlen
AR-lun
Two syllables, stress on the first. Arlen, Arlan and Arlin are said identically.
Nicknames for Arlen
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1909
- Most boys named
- 1935181 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #380reached in 1934
- Change vs 2023
- +5.9%107 in 2025, from 101
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Arlen in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ó hArgalláin in Irish — related form
- Arlan in English — spelling variant
- Arlin in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Florida, Texas.
Arlens among us
people named Arlen are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 15,963 born in 2025 was named Arlen
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Rubin test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Arlen's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Rubin climbed just as high around 1907, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Rubin's path sketches the road Arlen is walking now.
Arlen is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Arlen is headed
Arlen looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 18% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Arlen beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Arlen in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented Roscommon family stands behind it.
- Len is available as a short form with its own record.
- Two firm syllables that carry well against any surname.
- The root is genuinely disputed between two very different readings.
- Three spellings of the sound are in use.
- Arlene is the feminine and is far commoner in American records.
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What they receive
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Arlen
Masculine · #1585 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Arlens are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 4,500 people named Arlen are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Arlen in 2025?
- Arlen ranks #1585 among US boy names in 2025, with 107 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Arlen?
- About 1 in every 15,963 US boys born in 2025 was named Arlen — 107 in all.
- Will my child share the name Arlen with classmates?
- Arlen will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Arlen
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Sulaiman#1585 · Zohan#1585 · Terrence#1585 · Chester#1585 · Karl#1585 · Nisaiah#1585 · Said#1585 · Delijah#1585
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Arlen? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Arlen and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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