Arleen
A feminine name of German origin meaning "pledge" or "promise".
Name Census estimates that about 6,660 living Americans carry the first name Arleen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Arleen today is around 57 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Arleen births was 1939 (415 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Arleen. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Arleen with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
6.7K
~ 1 in 51,465 Americans
Peak year
1939
415 babies that year
Average age
57
years old
1942 SSA rank
#3,231
Tracked since 1898
Census
Arleen in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 8,626 people with the first name Arleen, which placed it at #2,718 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#2,718
National first-name rank
People counted
8.6K
8,626 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.9
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
55.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arleen
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Arleen is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Arleen described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Arleen at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.7% · 4,803
- Hispanic or Latino25.3% · 2,184
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.8% · 755
- Black or African American8.1% · 701
- Two or more races1.5% · 130
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 53
Gender
Gender distribution for Arleen
Out of the 12,598 babies given the name Arleen since 1880, 100.0% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Arleen as a male name
- Ranked #3,231 in 1942
- 6 male births in 1942
- Peak: 1942 (6 births)
Arleen as a female name
- Ranked #4,767 in 2024
- 28 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1939 (415 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Arleen appears almost entirely female. Of the 8,620 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Arleen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Arleen from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 2,566 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Arleen by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Arleen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Arleens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 38 states and territories. New York, California, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Arleen, while Oregon, Maine, Idaho recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 239 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Arleen
The given name Arleen has its roots in the ancient Germanic language, with its origins dating back to the 5th century. It is a feminine form derived from the Old German name Arline or Arlina, which itself comes from the Germanic root words "ari" meaning "eagle" and "lind" meaning "serpent" or "snake." Together, these elements suggest a symbolism of strength, courage, and wisdom.
In the early Middle Ages, variations of this name were relatively common among the Germanic tribes that inhabited regions of present-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name appear in ancient Germanic texts and chronicles from that period.
As the name spread across Europe during the medieval era, it underwent various spelling and pronunciation changes. In some regions, it was spelled as Arlene, Arlyne, or Arlyne, reflecting the influence of local dialects and linguistic traditions.
One of the earliest notable bearers of this name was Arleen of Saxony, a noblewoman and landowner who lived in the 9th century. She is mentioned in several historical records and chronicles from that time, though details about her life are scarce.
In the 12th century, an Arleen von Rheinau was a prominent abbess and religious leader in what is now Switzerland. She played a significant role in the administration and spiritual guidance of her convent, and her name appears in various ecclesiastical records and correspondence from that era.
During the Renaissance period, Arleen Gozzadini (1452-1519) was an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts, known for her support of artists and scholars in the city of Bologna. Her name is documented in various historical accounts and records from that time.
In the 17th century, Arleen van der Meer (1610-1678) was a Dutch painter and engraver, known for her intricate still-life compositions and portraits. Her works are preserved in several museums and private collections across Europe.
Another notable bearer of this name was Arleen Wilhelmina von Preussen (1714-1797), a German princess and member of the Prussian royal family. She was an influential figure in the cultural and political circles of her time and is mentioned in various historical records and correspondence from the 18th century.
Throughout its long history, the name Arleen has been borne by many other individuals, some of whom achieved notable accomplishments or played significant roles in their respective societies. While the name's popularity has fluctuated over time, it remains a lasting reminder of its ancient Germanic heritage and the symbolic meanings associated with its origins.
People
Arleen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Arleen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Arleen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Arleen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6,660 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Arleen going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 51,465 US residents.
Is Arleen a common name?
We classify Arleen as "Rare". It ranks above 97.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12,598 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Arleen most popular?
The single biggest year for Arleen was 1939, when 415 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Arleen is about 57 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Arleen in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 8,626 people with the name Arleen, or 2.86 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,718 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Arleen in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Arleen?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Arleen appears almost entirely female. Of the 8,620 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Arleen?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Arleen is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Arleen most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Arleen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.7% (4,803 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Arleen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Arleen a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Arleen in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Arleen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Arleen in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Arleen can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Arleen?
Find out how many Americans are named Arleen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.