Arnold
Feminine · “eagle power”
Arnold is given to boys far more often — 103,846 boys against 550 girls since 1880. See Arnold as a boy name
Arnold is an old Germanic name joining the eagle to power, carried in America by a general, a golfer and a bodybuilder who became a governor. It is two syllables, strong and plain, and it has come back into use after a long quiet spell.
How old is the name Arnold?
Arnold first appears in US birth records in 1912 — 113 years ago. The typical Arnold alive today was born around 1932, making them about 93 years old. About 200 people named Arnold are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Arnold most popular?
Arnold peaked in 1929, reaching #1766 nationally. See the whole 1929 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Arnwald to Arnold
The story of Arnold
Benedict Arnold was one of the best American generals of the Revolution, badly wounded leading the charge at Saratoga, before his plot to hand West Point to the British made his name a byword for treason. A friendlier Arnold gave his name to a drink: the golfer Arnold Palmer liked to mix iced tea with lemonade, others ordered what he was having, and the Arnold Palmer was born. The name is recorded for a very few girls, but it is a man's name almost everywhere.
Meaning
eagle power
From Germanic Arnwald, joining arn, eagle, and wald, power or rule.
How the name formed
- Arnwald
- Arnold
Related forms: Arnold · Arnaud · Arnoldo · Arnout
Pronouncing Arnold
AR-nuld
Stress on the first syllable.
Nicknames for Arnold
Limited
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
- 1912
- Most girls named
- 192921 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1766reached in 1929
- Change vs 1973
- −14.3%6 in 1977, from 7
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.
Arnold in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Arnold in German — same name
- Arnaud in French — same name
- Arnoldo in Italian — same name
- Arnout in Dutch — same name
Arnolds among us
people named Arnold are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Arnold sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It has a clear, strong meaning.
- Arnie is a warm short form.
- It is familiar but rare among young children.
- Benedict Arnold's treason is the first thing some Americans think of.
- It sounds old-fashioned to many ears, though it is returning.
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Arnold
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Arnolds are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Arnold are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Arnold in 2025?
- Arnold is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Arnold with classmates?
- Arnold will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More A names
The most-given names starting with A, all years combined.
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Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Arnold? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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