Arnold
Masculine · “eagle power”
Arnold is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 103,846 boys against 550 girls since 1880. See Arnold as a girl 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 was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Arnold alive today was born around 1939, making them about 86 years old. About 40,000 people named Arnold are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Arnold most popular?
Arnold peaked in 1916, reaching #89 nationally. Today it ranks #1477, 1,388 places below that high. See the whole 1916 chart.
Arnold appears on these lists:
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
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 19242,014 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #89reached in 1916
- Change vs 2022
- +1.7%120 in 2025, from 118
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
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Florida.
Arnolds among us
people named Arnold are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 14,234 born in 2025 was named Arnold
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 Mack test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Arnold's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Mack climbed just as high around 1900, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Mack's path sketches the road Arnold is walking now.
Arnold 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 Arnold is headed
Arnold should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
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.
Arnold beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Arnold in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
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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What they receive
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Arnold
Masculine · #1477 in the U.S.
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 40,000 people named Arnold are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Arnold in 2025?
- Arnold ranks #1477 among US boy names in 2025, with 120 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Arnold?
- About 1 in every 14,234 US boys born in 2025 was named Arnold — 120 in all.
- Will my child share the name Arnold with classmates?
- Arnold will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Arnold
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Xzavier#1477 · Ewan#1477 · Kamarion#1477 · Vedant#1477 · Isiah#1477 · Smith#1477 · Derick#1477 · Laken#1477
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Arnold? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Arnold and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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