Arlene
A twentieth-century coinage, probably formed on the pattern of Charlene and Marlene.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Arlene first shows up in the national records in 1888. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in 14 different years between 1931 and 1945. Its biggest year was 1934, when 3,917 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 53 nationally. All told, 143,371 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Arline (17,626), Arleen (12,617), Arlen (8,154), Arlin (4,884), Arlyn (4,525), Arlan (3,434) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Charlene, Marlene
Explore Arlene interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 14 | No. 894 |
| 1890s | 226 | No. 514 |
| 1900s | 846 | No. 282 |
| 1910s | 7,781 | No. 156 |
| 1920s | 21,961 | No. 105 |
| 1930s | 34,796 | No. 53 |
| 1940s | 29,093 | No. 75 |
| 1950s | 20,652 | No. 132 |
| 1960s | 11,234 | No. 211 |
| 1970s | 4,654 | No. 349 |
| 1980s | 3,670 | No. 487 |
| 1990s | 3,190 | No. 616 |
| 2000s | 2,615 | No. 759 |
| 2010s | 1,559 | No. 1165 |
| 2020s | 719 | No. 1571 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.