Arlene
Arlene was the 1632nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 127 babies. Its best year was 1934, when it ranked 53rd with 3,917 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 250 places. More babies were named Arlene in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Meaning 19th-century coinage · American English
Say it ar-LEEN /ɑɹˈlin/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,632 girls, down 61 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 127girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19343,917 babies
- Total since 1880
- 143,371babies recorded
What does the name Arlene mean?
Arlene is a 19th-century coinage, which Wiktionary says was probably based on similar-sounding names such as Charlene and Arlette. It has no inherited meaning. It was very popular in the US in the 1920s and 1930s, along with Darlene and Marlene; actress Arlene Dahl is a well-known bearer.
How sure is this? Probable. A coined name; any meaning is borrowed from similar names.
Related names: Arline, Arleen, Charlene, Marlene.
See also: American names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Arlene', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Arlene popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 361 since 1916.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,632 | 127 |
| 2020 | #1,571 | 134 |
| 2010 | #1,166 | 208 |
| 2000 | #798 | 286 |
| 1990 | #680 | 314 |
| 1980 | #520 | 371 |
| 1970 | #349 | 718 |
| 1960 | #211 | 1,625 |
| 1950 | #132 | 2,390 |
| 1940 | #75 | 3,257 |
| 1930 | #103 | 2,509 |
| 1920 | #145 | 1,594 |
| 1910 | #268 | 207 |
| 1900 | #494 | 47 |
| 1890 | #830 | 11 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Arlene, counting every spelling?
Arlene is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,128 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,632 for Arlene on its own. Together these spellings went to 196 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arlene | 127 | #1,632 | 585 |
| Arlyn | 36 | #3,987 | 198 |
| Arleen | 19 | #6,145 | 168 |
| Arlynn | 14 | #7,520 | 86 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Arlene?
127 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Arlene (0.04 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Arlene born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 66 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Arlene.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Arlene?
About 66,000 people born in the US named Arlene are alive today, with a median age of 71; half are between 57 and 81. That makes Arlene a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Arlene by state
How common Arlene was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (1.9×). In 42 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Arlene: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Arlene, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Arlene · Sibling names for Arlene
Questions about the name Arlene
What does Arlene mean?
Arlene means “19th-century coinage” (American English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Arlene?
Arlene was the 1632nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 127 babies. Its best year was 1934, when it ranked 53rd with 3,917 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 250 places. More babies were named Arlene in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Is Arlene a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Arlene in the US.
Where is Arlene most popular?
In 2021–2025, Arlene was most common in California (0.13 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and New York.