Unisex name · since 1886
Harlin
Harlin has 1,879 recorded births since 1886 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1924 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #3,436 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,257 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,879
- born since 1886
- 1920s
- peak decade
1,879 babies have been named Harlin since 1886, making it today's #4257 unisex name.
Harlin has 1,879 recorded births among boys since 1886, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4257 as of the latest data, more common than 69% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1886 to 2025.
- #3,436 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #4,257 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,879 born since 1886
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Harlin ranks #3,436 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,257 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,879 born since 1886, peaking in the 1920s.
- #3,436 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,257 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,879
- born since 1886
- 1920s
- peak decade
Harlin's 1,879 recorded births place it above 92.44% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
8 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Kentucky.
How Harlin compares
1,879 Top 23% higher than 77% 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
Harlin's all-time total is 5x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Harlin | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,879 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 45 | 34 | 22,252 |
Harlin's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Harlin's full recorded timeline at 1961, 35% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 65% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1886, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1924 peak of 45 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Harlin popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1886–2025
- Peak year (1924)
- 45
- Annual births at peak, across 140 years of records
Harlin popularity over time - girls
113 total births recorded since 1999 (Harlin as girls' name)
Harlin by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (332 births, 18% of the file).
1920s was Harlin's strongest decade.
332 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Harlin births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 5
1880s
5 births
- 1900s 10
1900s
10 births
- 1910s
1910s
167 births
- 1920s
1920s
332 births
- 1930s
1930s
305 births
- 1940s
1940s
238 births
- 1950s
1950s
149 births
- 1960s 104
1960s
104 births
- 1970s 56
1970s
56 births
- 1980s 40
1980s
40 births
- 1990s 53
1990s
53 births
- 2000s 88
2000s
88 births
- 2010s
2010s
202 births
- 2020s 130
2020s
130 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 332 births (18% of all-time use).
How Harlin 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 Harlin's total volume
Harlin by state
Where Harlin concentrates geographically, total births since 1886
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Kentucky | | 33 | 1.8% |
| #2 | Arkansas | | 18 | 1.0% |
| #3 | Texas | | 11 | 0.6% |
| #4 | Missouri | | 10 | 0.5% |
| #5 | Alabama | | 5 | 0.3% |
| #6 | California | | 5 | 0.3% |
| #7 | New York | | 5 | 0.3% |
| #8 | Oklahoma | | 5 | 0.3% |
33 of 1,879 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 8 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Harlin? ▼
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What to do with Harlin's data
- Harlin's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (332 total births) through the 2020s (130) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Kentucky records the most Harlins (33 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Kentucky names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Harlin
Nearby Names Like Harlin
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Harlin
Compare Harlin side by side: Harlin vs Harold Harlin vs Harry Harlin vs Harvey
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Harlin
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Harlin: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1924)
Similar record span (~139 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, 1886–2025 (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 Harlin 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.