Girls' name · since 1915
Harlene
Since 1915, U.S. Social Security records show 1,124 babies named Harlene, peaking in 1937. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #6,914 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #15,053 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,124
- born since 1915
- 1930s
- peak decade
Yes -- Harlene is the #15053 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 1,124 recorded since 1915.
Social Security Administration records show Harlene recorded 1,124 times among girls since 1915, holding rank #15053 nationally today, ahead of 13% of girls, peaking in the 1930s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1915 to 2025.
- #6,914 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #15,053 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 1,124 born since 1915
- 1930s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Harlene ranks #6,914 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #15,053 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,124 born since 1915, peaking in the 1930s.
- #6,914 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #15,053 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,124
- born since 1915
- 1930s
- peak decade
Harlene's 1,124 recorded births place it above 90.43% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
8 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Harlene compares
1,124 Top 30% higher than 70% 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
Harlene's all-time total is 199% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Harlene | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,124 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 81 | 21 | 19,840 |
Harlene's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Harlene splits its recorded history at 1949: 27% of all births land in the more recent half, 73% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1965 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1937 peak of 81 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Harlene popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1915–2025
- Peak year (1937)
- 81
- Annual births at peak, across 111 years of records
Harlene by decade
1930s is the heaviest window (422 births, 38% of the file).
1930s was Harlene's strongest decade.
422 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 38% of all-time use.
Harlene births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 23
1910s
23 births
- 1920s 46
1920s
46 births
- 1930s
1930s
422 births
- 1940s
1940s
348 births
- 1950s 159
1950s
159 births
- 1960s 67
1960s
67 births
- 1970s 34
1970s
34 births
- 2000s 5
2000s
5 births
- 2010s 10
2010s
10 births
- 2020s 10
2020s
10 births
What this shows Peak: 1930s at 422 births (38% of all-time use).
How Harlene 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 Harlene's total volume
Harlene by state
Where Harlene concentrates geographically, total births since 1915
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 93 | 8.3% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 63 | 5.6% |
| #3 | New York | | 32 | 2.8% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 15 | 1.3% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 14 | 1.2% |
| #6 | Oklahoma | | 11 | 1.0% |
| #7 | Arkansas | | 6 | 0.5% |
| #8 | Missouri | | 6 | 0.5% |
93 of 1,124 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 8 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Harlene? ▼
Where does Harlene sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Harlene most popular? ▼
Where is Harlene most popular? ▼
How long has the name Harlene been used? ▼
What names are similar to Harlene? ▼
What to do with Harlene's data
- Harlene's decade-level peak was the 1930s (422 total births); usage has since declined to 10 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Harlenes (93 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 Harlene
Nearby Names Like Harlene
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Harlene
Compare Harlene side by side: Harlene vs Harper Harlene vs Harriet Harlene vs Harmony
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Harlene
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Harlene: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1937)
Similar record span (~110 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, 1915–2025 (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 Harlene 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.