Erlin
A feminine name of Scandinavian origin meaning "pearl near the sea".
Name Census estimates that about 334 living Americans carry the first name Erlin. It is a predominantly male name (96.9% of registrations). The average person named Erlin today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Erlin births was 2022 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Erlin. 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.
People living today
334
~ 1 in 1,026,211 Americans
Peak year
2022
25 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,218
Tracked since 1916
Census
Erlin in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,219 people with the first name Erlin, which placed it at #10,779 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
#10,779
National first-name rank
People counted
1.2K
1,219 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
83.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Erlin
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Erlin is Hispanic at 83.8%. The next largest groups are White (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). 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 Erlin 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 Erlin at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino83.8% · 1,022
- White8.3% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 50
- Black or African American3.3% · 40
- Two or more races0.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Erlin
Erlin leans heavily male at 96.9% of total registrations, but 11 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Erlin as a male name
- Ranked #4,218 in 2024
- 25 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (25 births)
Erlin as a female name
- Ranked #13,697 in 2000
- 6 female births in 2000
- Peak: 2000 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Erlin on both sides of the split. Of the 1,221 people counted with this name, 952 were male (78.0%) and 269 were female (22.0%).
Popularity
Erlin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Erlin from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 106 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Erlin 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 Erlin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Erlins live
Origin
Meaning and history of Erlin
The given name Erlin has its origins in the Germanic languages, with roots that can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The name is believed to have derived from the Old High German words "Erlin" or "Erling," which were diminutive forms of the name "Erling." These words were composed of the elements "er," meaning honour or noble, and "ling," a diminutive suffix.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Erlin can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the medieval period in Saxony, Germany. This document, dated around the 11th century, mentions an individual named "Erlingus" who held a position of authority in the region.
The name Erlin also appears in various literary works from the Middle Ages, including the Nibelungenlied, a renowned German epic poem from the 13th century. In this work, one of the minor characters bears the name "Erling," which is likely a variation of the same name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Erlin. One such person was Erling Skjalgsson (c. 935-1028), a Norwegian chieftain and one of the most powerful men in Norway during the late Viking Age. He played a significant role in the consolidation of Norway under the rule of King Olaf Haraldsson.
Another prominent figure was Erling Vidkunsson (c. 1115-1188), a Norwegian nobleman and chieftain who was a key supporter of King Sverre Sigurdsson during the civil war in Norway in the late 12th century. Vidkunsson's influence and military prowess were instrumental in Sverre's ascension to the throne.
In the field of literature, Erlin Pedersen (1933-2004) was a renowned Danish author and poet. He was known for his experimental and avant-garde writing style and was a recipient of several prestigious literary awards, including the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 1981.
Erling Kagge (born 1963) is a renowned Norwegian explorer, author, and publisher. He is the first person to have reached the North Pole, the South Pole, and the summit of Mount Everest, a remarkable feat known as the "Three Poles Challenge."
In the realm of music, Erling Blöndal Bengtsson (1932-2020) was a Swedish cellist and composer. He was a member of the prestigious Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and composed several works for cello and chamber ensembles, leaving a lasting impact on the Swedish classical music scene.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Erlin throughout history, showcasing its enduring presence across various cultures and fields of endeavour.
People
Erlin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Erlin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Erlin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Erlin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 334 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Erlin 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 1,026,211 US residents.
Is Erlin a common name?
We classify Erlin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 354 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Erlin most popular?
The single biggest year for Erlin was 2022, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Erlin is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Erlin in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,219 people with the name Erlin, or 0.40 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,779 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 Erlin 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 Erlin?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Erlin on both sides of the split. Of the 1,221 people counted with this name, 952 were male (78.0%) and 269 were female (22.0%). 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 Erlin?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Erlin is Hispanic at 83.8%. The next largest groups are White (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). 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 Erlin most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Erlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (1,022 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 Erlin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Erlin a male name?
Yes, 96.9% of people registered as Erlin in the SSA data are male. 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 Erlin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Erlin 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 Erlin 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 are named Erlin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.