Girls' name · since 1888
Arlene
Arlene has 143,010 recorded births since 1888 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1934 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #280 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,631 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 143,010
- born since 1888
- 1930s
- peak decade
Arlene currently ranks #1631 among girls' names in America, with 143,010 babies recorded since 1888.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Arlene has been recorded 143,010 times among girls since 1888, currently ranked #1631 nationally and more common than 91% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1930s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1888 to 2025.
- #280 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,631 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 143,010 born since 1888
- 1930s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Arlene ranks #280 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,631 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 143,010 born since 1888, peaking in the 1930s.
- #280 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,631 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 143,010
- born since 1888
- 1930s
- peak decade
Arlene's 143,010 recorded births place it above 99.61% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Arlene compares
143,010 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,297 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
Arlene's all-time total is 380x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Arlene | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 143,010 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 3,917 | 21 | 19,840 |
Arlene's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Arlene splits its recorded history at 1957: 23% of all births land in the more recent half, 77% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1889 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1934 peak of 3,917 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Arlene popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1888–2025
- Peak year (1934)
- 3,917
- Annual births at peak, across 138 years of records
Arlene popularity over time - boys
361 total births recorded since 1916 (Arlene as boys' name)
Arlene by decade
1930s is the heaviest window (34,796 births, 24% of the file).
1930s was Arlene's strongest decade.
34,796 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Arlene births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 14
1880s
14 births
- 1890s 226
1890s
226 births
- 1900s 846
1900s
846 births
- 1910s 7,781
1910s
7,781 births
- 1920s
1920s
21,961 births
- 1930s
1930s
34,796 births
- 1940s
1940s
29,093 births
- 1950s
1950s
20,652 births
- 1960s 11,234
1960s
11,234 births
- 1970s 4,654
1970s
4,654 births
- 1980s 3,670
1980s
3,670 births
- 1990s 3,190
1990s
3,190 births
- 2000s 2,615
2000s
2,615 births
- 2010s 1,559
2010s
1,559 births
- 2020s 719
2020s
719 births
What this shows Peak: 1930s at 34,796 births (24% of all-time use).
How Arlene 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 Arlene's total volume
Arlene by state
Where Arlene concentrates geographically, total births since 1888
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 21,729 | 15.2% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 13,781 | 9.6% |
| #3 | California | | 12,506 | 8.7% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 9,881 | 6.9% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 7,195 | 5.0% |
| #6 | New Jersey | | 6,745 | 4.7% |
| #7 | Wisconsin | | 5,698 | 4.0% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 5,625 | 3.9% |
21,729 of 143,010 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Arlene appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Arlene? ▼
Where does Arlene sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Arlene most popular? ▼
Where is Arlene most popular? ▼
How long has the name Arlene been used? ▼
What names are similar to Arlene? ▼
What to do with Arlene's data
- Arlene's decade-level peak was the 1930s (34,796 total births); usage has since declined to 719 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Arlenes (21,729 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Arlene
Nearby Names Like Arlene
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Arlene
Compare Arlene side by side: Arlene vs Arline Arlene vs Arleen Arlene vs Arlette
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Arlene
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Arlene: 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 (~137 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, 1888–2025 (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 Arlene 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.