Unisex name · since 1880

Arlington

Arlington has 1,586 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1917 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#3,797 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#5,612 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
1,586
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade

1,586 babies have been named Arlington since 1880, making it today's #5612 unisex name.

Social Security Administration records show Arlington recorded 1,586 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #5612 nationally today, ahead of 60% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #3,797 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #5,612 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 1,586 born since 1880
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Arlington ranks #3,797 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,612 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,586 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.

#3,797 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#5,612 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
1,586
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%59.7%
Arlington vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Arlington's 1,586 recorded births place it above 91.65% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

2 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by Pennsylvania.

How Arlington compares

1,586 Top 25% higher than 75% 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

Arlington's all-time total is 4x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Arlington Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 1,586 369 358,536
Peak-year births 44 34 22,252

Arlington's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Arlington's full recorded timeline at 1955, 38% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 62% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1917 peak of 44 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Arlington popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1917)
44
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
01020304050 188019101926194219581975199520152025 16

Arlington popularity over time - girls

115 total births recorded since 2011 (Arlington as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 115 births
46810121416 20112014201620182020202220242025 7

Arlington by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (261 births, 16% of the file).

1920s was Arlington's strongest decade.

261 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.

Arlington births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 261 births (16% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Arlington 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 Arlington's total volume

Arlington vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -30, 6.3%-50, 4.5%-67, 5.8%-114, 2.9%-100, 5.4%-47, 6.1%-23, 14%-33, 7%-95, 2.7%-44, 5.1%-67, 3.5%-28, 11.8%-55, 4.2%-50, 5.6%-113, 2.3%Arlington-146, 2.8%Arlington
Arlington vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Arlington by state

Where Arlington concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 2 states by recorded births for the name Arlington
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Pennsylvania
174 11.0%
#2 New York
44 2.8%
Pennsylvania share of Arlington's total US births 11.0%
Even split

174 of 1,586 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Arlington? ▼
Arlington has been given to 1,586 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #3,797 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #5,612 of 13,930. 44 babies were born in 1917, its single highest year.
Where does Arlington sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Arlington ranks #3,797 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,612 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Arlington most popular? ▼
Arlington was most popular in the 1920s decade with 261 total births. The single peak year was 1917.
Where is Arlington most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Arlington are Pennsylvania (174 births), New York (44 births).
Is Arlington a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Arlington is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 1,586 births, and as a girl's name it has 115 births.
How long has the name Arlington been used? ▼
Records for Arlington go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Arlington? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Arlo, Arlen, Arlie, Arlin, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Arlington's data

  • Arlington's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (261 total births) through the 2020s (111) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • Pennsylvania records the most Arlingtons (174 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Arlington

Nearby Names Like Arlington

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Arlington

Arlo Boy
#148 24,245 births
Arlen Boy
#1588 7,345 births
Arlie Boy
#5611 6,712 births
Arlin Boy
#2771 4,072 births
Arley Boy
#1755 3,648 births

Compare Arlington side by side: Arlington vs Arlo Arlington vs Arlen Arlington vs Arlie

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Arlington

Arlie #5611
6,712 births · Peak 1921
Sammie #5613
20,836 births · Peak 1947
Llewellyn #5610
3,414 births · Peak 1916
Rowland #5614
4,279 births · Peak 1917
Rolland #5609
9,868 births · Peak 1928
Gerrit #5615
2,877 births · Peak 1916
Webb #5608
1,658 births · Peak 1927
Alanzo #5616
494 births · Peak 2014

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Arlington: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1880–2025 (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 Arlington 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.