Unisex name · since 1909
Arlen
7,345 babies named Arlen in U.S. Social Security records since 1909, with the highest year being 1934. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,433 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,588 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,345
- born since 1909
- 1930s
- peak decade
7,345 babies have been named Arlen since 1909, making it today's #1588 unisex name.
Arlen has 7,345 recorded births among boys since 1909, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1588 as of the latest data, more common than 89% of boys, busiest in the 1930s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1909 to 2025.
- #1,433 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,588 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 7,345 born since 1909
- 1930s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Arlen ranks #1,433 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,588 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 7,345 born since 1909, peaking in the 1930s.
- #1,433 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,588 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,345
- born since 1909
- 1930s
- peak decade
Arlen's 7,345 recorded births place it above 96.84% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
33 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Arlen compares
7,345 Top 11% higher than 89% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Arlen's all-time total is 20x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Arlen | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 7,345 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 206 | 34 | 22,252 |
Arlen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Arlen's full recorded timeline at 1969, 34% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 66% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1909, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1934 peak of 206 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Arlen popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1909–2025
- Peak year (1934)
- 206
- Annual births at peak, across 117 years of records
Arlen popularity over time - girls
809 total births recorded since 1918 (Arlen as girls' name)
Arlen by decade
1930s is the heaviest window (1,648 births, 22% of the file).
1930s was Arlen's strongest decade.
1,648 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Arlen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 5
1900s
5 births
- 1910s 106
1910s
106 births
- 1920s 389
1920s
389 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,648 births
- 1940s
1940s
957 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,220 births
- 1960s 602
1960s
602 births
- 1970s 347
1970s
347 births
- 1980s 372
1980s
372 births
- 1990s 327
1990s
327 births
- 2000s 318
2000s
318 births
- 2010s 513
2010s
513 births
- 2020s 541
2020s
541 births
What this shows Peak: 1930s at 1,648 births (22% of all-time use).
How Arlen compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Arlen's total volume
Arlen by state
Where Arlen concentrates geographically, total births since 1909
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 512 | 7.0% |
| #2 | Minnesota | | 447 | 6.1% |
| #3 | Texas | | 232 | 3.2% |
| #4 | Iowa | | 214 | 2.9% |
| #5 | Wisconsin | | 199 | 2.7% |
| #6 | North Dakota | | 163 | 2.2% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 142 | 1.9% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 132 | 1.8% |
512 of 7,345 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 33 reporting states.
Arlen appears in 33 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Arlen? ▼
Where does Arlen sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Arlen most popular? ▼
Where is Arlen most popular? ▼
Is Arlen a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Arlen been used? ▼
What names are similar to Arlen? ▼
What to do with Arlen's data
- Arlen's decade-level peak was the 1930s (1,648 total births); usage has since declined to 541 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Arlens (512 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Arlen
Nearby Names Like Arlen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Arlen
Compare Arlen side by side: Arlen vs Arlo Arlen vs Arlie Arlen vs Arlin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Arlen
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Arlen: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1934)
Similar record span (~116 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1909–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Arlen 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 August 2026.