Darleen
Darleen was the 9607th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 10 babies. Its best year was 1943, when it ranked 494th; the most babies were born in 1958 (231). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,883 places. More babies were named Darleen in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Darlene) 20th-century coinage (darling + -lene) · American English, Old English
- Rank in 2025
- #9,607 girls, down 1,527 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 10girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1958231 babies
- Total since 1880
- 8,332babies recorded
What does the name Darleen mean?
Darleen is a spelling of Darlene, pronounced the same way, so it shares Darlene's meaning and origin.
Darlene is a 20th-century coinage from the word darling and names such as Charlene and Marlene, as Wiktionary notes. Darling comes from Old English dēorling, from dēore 'dear'. Darlene was popular in the US in the 1930s to 1950s. Its meaning is that of the word darling rather than an inherited name.
dēorling (Old English, “darling”)dēore (Old English, “dear”)
How sure is this? Probable.
Related names: Darla, Charlene, Marlene.
See also: American names, names that mean love.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Darlene', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'darling' (English section), 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)
Darleen popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,607 | 10 |
| 2020 | #8,080 | 13 |
| 2010 | #5,464 | 25 |
| 2000 | #4,688 | 25 |
| 1990 | #4,274 | 23 |
| 1980 | #4,027 | 19 |
| 1970 | #1,371 | 76 |
| 1960 | #838 | 152 |
| 1950 | #653 | 171 |
| 1940 | #598 | 135 |
| 1930 | #623 | 124 |
| 1920 | #1,559 | 28 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Darleen, counting every spelling?
Darleen is a spelling of Darlene, a name family that ranked #1,148 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #9,607 for Darleen on its own. Together these spellings went to 190 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darlene | 108 | #1,847 | 540 |
| Darlyn | 32 | #4,379 | 222 |
| Darlin | 35 | #4,091 | 122 |
| Darleen | 10 | #9,607 | 49 |
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 Darleen?
10 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Darleen (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Darleen 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 831 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Darleen.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Darleen?
About 5,200 people born in the US named Darleen are alive today, with a median age of 67; half are between 55 and 77. That makes Darleen 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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Darleen: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Darleen, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Darleen
What does Darleen mean?
Darleen is a spelling of Darlene, which means “20th-century coinage (darling + -lene)” (American English, Old English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Darleen?
Darleen was the 9607th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 10 babies. Its best year was 1943, when it ranked 494th; the most babies were born in 1958 (231). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,883 places. More babies were named Darleen in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Is Darleen a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Darleen in the US.