Arlen is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Arlen means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Arlen across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Arlen has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Arlen is a boy name of Irish (Gaelic) origin meaning “pledge or oath”. From an Irish surname, also spelled Arlan.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 8,154 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 446 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 17 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Arlen per year, United States (1909 to 2025). United States peaked in 1934 (215/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2023 (48/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2023 (4/yr).
Arlen has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1934, when it ranked #802 nationally (given to 215 babies that year).
Arlene · Arline · Earline · Arleen · Earlene · Arlan · Arlin · Earlean
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