Harlin
Harlin was the 4303rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 24 babies. Its best year was 1886, when it ranked 1025th; the most babies were born in 1924 (45). Over the last ten years it has moved up 642 places. More babies were named Harlin in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Harlan) grey land or hare land (English) · Old English
- Rank in 2025
- #4,303 boys, up 1,502 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 24boys
- Girls and boys
- 28% girls, 72% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 192445 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,992babies recorded
What does the name Harlin mean?
Harlin is a spelling of Harlan, pronounced the same way, so it shares Harlan's meaning and origin.
Harlan is an American contraction of the surname Harland, according to Wiktionary, from Old English hār, grey, or hara, hare, plus land. So it means a grey stretch of land, or land where hares were found; the sources do not say which. Wiktionary lists several US places named Harlan. As a first name it has been used in the US since 1880.
hār (Old English, “grey”)hara (Old English, “hare”)land (Old English, “land”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Wiktionary offers 'grey' or 'hare' for the first element.
Related names: Harland, Harlen.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Harlan' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Harlin popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | #4,303 | — | 24 |
| 2020 | #11,466 | #5,805 | 8 | 15 |
| 2010 | — | #5,335 | — | 17 |
| 2000 | — | — | — | — |
| 1990 | — | #8,611 | — | 5 |
| 1980 | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | #2,469 | — | 12 |
| 1950 | — | #1,910 | — | 16 |
| 1940 | — | #1,260 | — | 29 |
| 1930 | — | #1,097 | — | 40 |
| 1920 | — | #2,267 | — | 14 |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Harlin, counting every spelling?
Harlin is a spelling of Harlan, a name family that ranked #545 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,303 for Harlin on its own. Together these spellings went to 551 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlan | 454 | #617 | 2,074 |
| Harlen | 59 | #2,338 | 303 |
| Harlin | 24 | #4,303 | 115 |
| Harlon | 14 | #6,241 | 60 |
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 Harlin?
24 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Harlin (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Harlin 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 347 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Harlin.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Harlin?
About 900 people born in the US named Harlin are alive today, with a median age of 31; half are between 10 and 68. That makes Harlin mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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 Harlin: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Harlin, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Harlin
What does Harlin mean?
Harlin is a spelling of Harlan, usually explained as “grey land or hare land (English)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Harlin?
Harlin was the 4303rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 24 babies. Its best year was 1886, when it ranked 1025th; the most babies were born in 1924 (45). Over the last ten years it has moved up 642 places. More babies were named Harlin in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Harlin a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 28% girls, 72% boys given the name Harlin in the US.