Total births
12,611
Girls' name · since 1898
Arleen
Arleen has 12,611 recorded births since 1898 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1939 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4782
- among girls today
- 12,611
- born since 1898
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 73%
- more common than other girls
Arleen currently ranks #4782 among girls' names in America, with 12,611 babies recorded since 1898.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Arleen has been recorded 12,611 times among girls since 1898, currently ranked #4782 nationally and more common than 73% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1940s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1898 to 2025.
- #4782 among girls today
- 12,611 born since 1898
- 1940s peak decade
- 73% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Arleen is currently the #4782 girls' name in America, more common than 73% of girls - 12,611 born since 1898, peaking in the 1940s.
- #4782
- among girls today
- 12,611
- born since 1898
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 73%
- more common than other girls
Arleen vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#4782
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 73% of names given to girls today.
1940s
Peak decade
20% of everyone ever named Arleen was born in this single decade.
1939
Single peak year
415 babies were named Arleen in 1939 - its busiest year on record.
How Arleen compares
12,611 Top 8% higher than 92% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Arleen's all-time total is 33x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Arleen | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,611 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 415 | 48 | 19,840 |
Arleen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Arleen splits its recorded history at 1962: 28% of all births land in the more recent half, 72% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1898 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1939 peak of 415 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Arleen at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1939
Current rank
#4,782
Active since
1898
Arleen popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1898–2025
- Peak year (1939)
- 415
- Annual births at peak, across 128 years of records
Arleen popularity over time - boys
6 total births recorded since 1942 (Arleen as boys' name)
Arleen by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Arleen's strongest decade.
2,560 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Arleen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 12
1890s
12 births
- 1900s 73
1900s
73 births
- 1910s 536
1910s
536 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,610 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,537 births
- 1940s
1940s
2,560 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,182 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,812 births
- 1970s 331
1970s
331 births
- 1980s 304
1980s
304 births
- 1990s 372
1990s
372 births
- 2000s 547
2000s
547 births
- 2010s 527
2010s
527 births
- 2020s 208
2020s
208 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 2,560 births (20% of all-time use).
How Arleen compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Arleen's total volume
Arleen vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Arleen by state
Where Arleen concentrates geographically, total births since 1898
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 2,027 | 16.1% |
| #2 | California | | 1,838 | 14.6% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 572 | 4.5% |
| #4 | New Jersey | | 564 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Wisconsin | | 559 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Texas | | 486 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 484 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 394 | 3.1% |
New York share of Arleen's total US births 16.1%
Even split
2,027 of 12,611 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 38 reporting states.
Arleen appears in 38 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Arleen? ▼
Since 1898, Social Security records show 12,611 babies named Arleen. Today it holds rank #4782 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1939, with 415 births.
When was Arleen most popular? ▼
Arleen was most popular in the 1940s decade with 2,560 total births. The single peak year was 1939.
Where is Arleen most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Arleen are New York (2,027 births), California (1,838 births), Pennsylvania (572 births).
How long has the name Arleen been used? ▼
Records for Arleen go back to 1898, giving 128 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Arleen? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Arlene, Arline, Arlette, Arleth, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Arleen's data
- Arleen's decade-level peak was the 1940s (2,560 total births); usage has since declined to 208 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Arleens (2,027 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Arleen
Nearby Names Like Arleen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Arleen
Arlene Girl
#1799 143,010 births
Arline Girl
17,590 births
Arlette Girl
#583 8,109 births
Arleth Girl
#428 6,840 births
Arlet Girl
#716 3,346 births
Compare Arleen side by side: Arleen vs Arlene Arleen vs Arline Arleen vs Arlette
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Arleen
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1898–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Arleen: #4782 Girls' Name - 12,611 Births, Peak 1939." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/arleen. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Arleen draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.