Darlene
Darlene was the 1847th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 108 babies. Its best year was 1958, when it ranked 49th with 8,278 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 408 places. More babies were named Darlene in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning 20th-century coinage (darling + -lene) · American English, Old English
Say it dar-LEEN /dɑɹˈlin/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,847 girls, down 51 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 108girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19588,278 babies
- Total since 1880
- 205,546babies recorded
What does the name Darlene mean?
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)
Darlene popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 604 since 1927.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,847 | 108 |
| 2020 | #1,796 | 110 |
| 2010 | #1,168 | 208 |
| 2000 | #826 | 273 |
| 1990 | #483 | 506 |
| 1980 | #362 | 653 |
| 1970 | #155 | 2,175 |
| 1960 | #75 | 6,093 |
| 1950 | #79 | 4,830 |
| 1940 | #79 | 3,120 |
| 1930 | #141 | 1,543 |
| 1920 | #398 | 275 |
| 1910 | #1,006 | 19 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Darlene, counting every spelling?
Darlene is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,148 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,847 for Darlene 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 Darlene?
108 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Darlene (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Darlene 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 78 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Darlene.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Darlene?
About 139,900 people born in the US named Darlene are alive today, with a median age of 68; half are between 61 and 75. That makes Darlene 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.
Darlene by state
How common Darlene was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (3.0×). 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 Darlene: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Darlene, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Darlene · Sibling names for Darlene
Questions about the name Darlene
What does Darlene mean?
Darlene means “20th-century coinage (darling + -lene)” (American English, Old English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Darlene?
Darlene was the 1847th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 108 babies. Its best year was 1958, when it ranked 49th with 8,278 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 408 places. More babies were named Darlene in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Darlene a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Darlene in the US.
Where is Darlene most popular?
In 2021–2025, Darlene was most common in California (0.20 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and Florida.