Fun Facts About the Name Arlene
- A favorite of earlier generations: Arlene appeared in the U.S. top 100 in 2 separate runs, totaling 14 years. Its last run lasted 1 consecutive years, from 1945 through 1945.
- More than 143 thousand babies named Arlene: U.S. records list 143,368 babies given the name Arlene from 1880 through 2025. Even 361 boys received the name Arlene - about 1 boy for every 396 girls.
What Does the Name Arlene Mean?
Arlene is a feminine given name used chiefly in English-speaking countries. Its etymology is not securely established, and it is generally treated as a modern English formation rather than as a name inherited from an older language. The most common explanation is that it was built from an element Arl- plus the feminine ending -ene, the same ending that appears in names such as Charlene, Marlene, and Darlene. That pattern suggests Arlene was coined by analogy with those names, but the element Arl- itself has no single agreed source. A second, competing explanation links the name to Irish tradition and glosses it as "pledge" or "oath," yet the derivation is uncertain and no firmly documented Irish original form is usually cited for it. Because no literal meaning can be confirmed, Arlene is best described as a name of uncertain meaning.
Arlene Name History & Origins
Arlene is characteristic of English naming in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It appears to be either a modern coinage or a variant of the similar name Arline, which was in use in the English-speaking world by the early nineteenth century. Arline is the heroine of the opera The Bohemian Girl, first performed in 1843 with music by Michael Balfe; that is a literary and stage association, not evidence that the name originated with the opera.
The spelling Arlene follows the pattern of other feminine names in -lene, including Charlene, Marlene, and Darlene, which were formed in the same broad period. Arlene became common in the United States and other English-speaking countries during the middle decades of the twentieth century and was also used in Ireland and Britain. Among its better-known bearers is the American actress and television host Arlene Francis (1907 - 2001). In popular culture, Arlene is the name of Garfield's girlfriend in the comic strip Garfield, created by Jim Davis in 1978.
How Popular is the Name Arlene?
Arlene recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1934. Arlene ranked among the top 100 U.S. names from 1931 through 1943, then returned in 1945 and remained through 1945.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,632 | 127 | 0.0079% |
| 2024 | #1,798 | 111 | 0.0069% |
| 2023 | #1,804 | 112 | 0.0070% |
| 2022 | #1,740 | 119 | 0.0073% |
| 2021 | #1,769 | 115 | 0.0070% |
| 2020 | #1,569 | 134 | 0.0083% |
| 2019 | #1,727 | 120 | 0.0072% |
| 2018 | #1,787 | 114 | 0.0067% |
| 2017 | #1,466 | 153 | 0.0089% |
| 2016 | #1,524 | 148 | 0.0084% |
| 2015 | #1,381 | 171 | 0.0096% |
| 2014 | #1,487 | 150 | 0.0084% |
| 2013 | #1,426 | 159 | 0.0091% |
| 2012 | #1,452 | 157 | 0.0089% |
| 2011 | #1,314 | 179 | 0.0102% |
| 2010 | #1,166 | 208 | 0.0117% |
| 2009 | #1,259 | 194 | 0.0106% |
| 2008 | #1,104 | 234 | 0.0124% |
| 2007 | #1,141 | 225 | 0.0117% |
| 2006 | #1,056 | 242 | 0.0127% |
| 2005 | #830 | 307 | 0.0166% |
| 2004 | #974 | 244 | 0.0133% |
| 2003 | #849 | 285 | 0.0156% |
| 2002 | #760 | 318 | 0.0177% |
| 2001 | #827 | 280 | 0.0156% |
| 2000 | #798 | 286 | 0.0157% |
| 1999 | #722 | 313 | 0.0176% |
| 1998 | #726 | 304 | 0.0172% |
| 1997 | #679 | 319 | 0.0183% |
| 1996 | #705 | 302 | 0.0172% |
| 1995 | #705 | 297 | 0.0169% |
| 1994 | #702 | 298 | 0.0167% |
| 1993 | #652 | 342 | 0.0189% |
| 1992 | #616 | 369 | 0.0200% |
| 1991 | #659 | 332 | 0.0177% |
| 1990 | #680 | 314 | 0.0165% |
| 1989 | #622 | 341 | 0.0185% |
| 1988 | #591 | 341 | 0.0191% |
| 1987 | #551 | 364 | 0.0209% |
| 1986 | #565 | 353 | 0.0206% |
| 1985 | #568 | 347 | 0.0202% |
| 1984 | #543 | 350 | 0.0208% |
| 1983 | #516 | 369 | 0.0221% |
| 1982 | #487 | 421 | 0.0249% |
| 1981 | #495 | 413 | 0.0248% |
| 1980 | #520 | 371 | 0.0223% |
| 1979 | #564 | 325 | 0.0202% |
| 1978 | #521 | 355 | 0.0232% |
| 1977 | #487 | 391 | 0.0255% |
| 1976 | #462 | 416 | 0.0284% |
| 1975 | #462 | 408 | 0.0280% |
| 1974 | #444 | 435 | 0.0296% |
| 1973 | #400 | 501 | 0.0344% |
| 1972 | #401 | 500 | 0.0329% |
| 1971 | #380 | 605 | 0.0364% |
| 1970 | #349 | 718 | 0.0411% |
| 1969 | #330 | 738 | 0.0437% |
| 1968 | #324 | 719 | 0.0438% |
| 1967 | #310 | 773 | 0.0468% |
| 1966 | #279 | 911 | 0.0538% |
| 1965 | #266 | 1,053 | 0.0597% |
| 1964 | #253 | 1,224 | 0.0646% |
| 1963 | #245 | 1,295 | 0.0672% |
| 1962 | #237 | 1,341 | 0.0682% |
| 1961 | #216 | 1,554 | 0.0770% |
| 1960 | #211 | 1,624 | 0.0803% |
| 1959 | #199 | 1,791 | 0.0885% |
| 1958 | #192 | 1,778 | 0.0884% |
| 1957 | #203 | 1,693 | 0.0828% |
| 1956 | #191 | 1,807 | 0.0900% |
| 1955 | #175 | 1,982 | 0.1014% |
| 1954 | #169 | 2,075 | 0.1069% |
| 1953 | #153 | 2,305 | 0.1225% |
| 1952 | #147 | 2,330 | 0.1257% |
| 1951 | #134 | 2,502 | 0.1389% |
| 1950 | #132 | 2,390 | 0.1395% |
| 1949 | #133 | 2,395 | 0.1400% |
| 1948 | #125 | 2,480 | 0.1461% |
| 1947 | #118 | 2,907 | 0.1640% |
| 1946 | #113 | 2,801 | 0.1783% |
| 1945 | #99 | 2,771 | 0.2120% |
| 1944 | #101 | 2,714 | 0.2045% |
| 1943 | #90 | 3,145 | 0.2254% |
| 1942 | #83 | 3,331 | 0.2466% |
| 1941 | #77 | 3,291 | 0.2724% |
| 1940 | #75 | 3,257 | 0.2848% |
| 1939 | #69 | 3,578 | 0.3263% |
| 1938 | #63 | 3,893 | 0.3528% |
| 1937 | #60 | 3,806 | 0.3577% |
| 1936 | #54 | 3,898 | 0.3747% |
| 1935 | #59 | 3,684 | 0.3513% |
| 1934 | #53 | 3,917 | 0.3751% |
| 1933 | #74 | 3,185 | 0.3160% |
| 1932 | #80 | 3,109 | 0.2913% |
| 1931 | #77 | 3,217 | 0.3021% |
| 1930 | #103 | 2,509 | 0.2228% |
| 1929 | #105 | 2,398 | 0.2148% |
| 1928 | #106 | 2,521 | 0.2186% |
| 1927 | #108 | 2,563 | 0.2149% |
| 1926 | #108 | 2,522 | 0.2128% |
| 1925 | #120 | 2,275 | 0.1869% |
| 1924 | #122 | 2,277 | 0.1823% |
| 1923 | #127 | 2,090 | 0.1732% |
| 1922 | #133 | 1,884 | 0.1569% |
| 1921 | #138 | 1,837 | 0.1490% |
| 1920 | #145 | 1,594 | 0.1330% |
| 1919 | #156 | 1,427 | 0.1263% |
| 1918 | #165 | 1,340 | 0.1158% |
| 1917 | #167 | 1,208 | 0.1117% |
| 1916 | #172 | 1,105 | 0.1058% |
| 1915 | #193 | 864 | 0.0878% |
| 1914 | #209 | 608 | 0.0798% |
| 1913 | #218 | 471 | 0.0754% |
| 1912 | #246 | 325 | 0.0582% |
| 1911 | #257 | 226 | 0.0540% |
| 1910 | #268 | 207 | 0.0522% |
| 1909 | #282 | 160 | 0.0461% |
| 1908 | #296 | 143 | 0.0428% |
| 1907 | #351 | 101 | 0.0317% |
| 1906 | #325 | 107 | 0.0362% |
| 1905 | #386 | 77 | 0.0264% |
| 1904 | #421 | 59 | 0.0214% |
| 1903 | #388 | 67 | 0.0256% |
| 1902 | #459 | 47 | 0.0178% |
| 1901 | #488 | 38 | 0.0159% |
| 1900 | #494 | 47 | 0.0157% |
| 1899 | #514 | 33 | 0.0142% |
| 1898 | #588 | 30 | 0.0116% |
| 1897 | #569 | 28 | 0.0120% |
| 1896 | #516 | 33 | 0.0139% |
| 1895 | #639 | 23 | 0.0098% |
| 1894 | #684 | 19 | 0.0085% |
| 1893 | #716 | 17 | 0.0080% |
| 1892 | #666 | 19 | 0.0089% |
| 1891 | #754 | 13 | 0.0070% |
| 1890 | #830 | 11 | 0.0058% |
| 1889 | #1,293 | 5 | 0.0028% |
| 1888 | #900 | 9 | 0.0050% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | #6,261 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #5,980 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1967 | #3,996 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1963 | #3,666 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #3,663 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #3,095 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1957 | #3,570 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #3,905 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1954 | #3,851 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1953 | #3,443 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1952 | #3,764 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1950 | #3,711 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1948 | #3,703 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #3,750 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1946 | #2,933 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1945 | #2,758 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1944 | #1,992 | 13 | 0.0010% |
| 1943 | #2,975 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1942 | #1,734 | 17 | 0.0012% |
| 1941 | #3,157 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1940 | #1,804 | 15 | 0.0013% |
| 1939 | #1,495 | 20 | 0.0018% |
| 1938 | #1,523 | 20 | 0.0018% |
| 1937 | #1,404 | 23 | 0.0022% |
| 1936 | #1,804 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1935 | #2,728 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1934 | #2,027 | 13 | 0.0013% |
| 1933 | #2,373 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1932 | #1,925 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1931 | #2,335 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1930 | #2,184 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1929 | #2,998 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1928 | #2,670 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1927 | #3,466 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1926 | #2,916 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1925 | #4,233 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1923 | #3,843 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1922 | #3,888 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1920 | #4,326 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1916 | #3,932 | 5 | 0.0006% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore Name Lists Featuring Arlene
Carl appears in several baby name collections based on U.S. popularity records, naming trends, and name characteristics. Explore these lists to discover other names with similar histories, styles, or features.
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How the Name Arlene Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Arlene's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Arlene's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.