How Many People Are Named Arlen?
An estimated 5,211 people in the United States have the first name Arlen. It is predominantly male (90.2%). The average bearer is 46 years old, and Arlen peaked in popularity in 1934 with 215 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Arlen as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Arlen paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
5,211
About 1 in 65,775 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
90.2% confidence
Average Age
46
years old
Peak Year
1934
215 births
Total Registered
8,023
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Arlen
Arlen is predominantly male (90.2%), though 786 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Arlen as a male name
Ranked #1,680 in 2024
99 male births in 2024
Peak: 1934 (206 births)
Arlen as a female name
Ranked #6,174 in 2024
19 female births in 2024
Peak: 2007 (31 births)
Arlen: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Arlen span from the 1900s to the 2020s, covering 13 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1930s, when 1,713 babies were registered. While Arlen is less common than at its peak in the 1930s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Arlen by Decade
How has Arlen tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Arlen by State
Birth registrations for Arlen span all 32 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Minnesota, Texas. The lowest are in Mississippi, Massachusetts, Missouri. On average, about 99 Arlens were registered per state.
Arlen + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Arlen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Arlen
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
Arlen: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Arlen?
We estimate approximately 5,211 people named Arlen are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 65,775 Americans share this first name.
Is Arlen a common name?
Arlen is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 96.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 8,023 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Arlen most popular?
Arlen reached peak popularity in 1934, when 215 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Arlen is approximately 46 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Arlen a male name?
Arlen is predominantly male. 90.2% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Arlen Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Arlen Smith, Arlen Johnson, Arlen Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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