Harlan is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Harlan means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Harlan across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Harlan has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Harlan is a boy name of Old English origin meaning “hare land, army land”. An English surname from a place name.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 26,980 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 849 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 11 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 10 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 Harlan per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1924 (519/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2025 (82/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2015 (4/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2020 (4/yr).
Harlan has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1924, when it ranked #544 nationally (given to 519 babies that year).
Harlene · Harlon · Harlyn · Harolyn · Harlean · Harlin · Harlynn · Harleen
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