How Many People Are Named Darlene?
An estimated 125,919 people in the United States have the first name Darlene. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #434 overall. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 65 years old, and Darlene peaked in popularity in 1958 with 8,308 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Darlene 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 Darlene paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Darlene is overwhelmingly female, 604 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Darlene has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
125,919
About 1 in 2,722 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
99.7% confidence
Average Age
65
years old
Peak Year
1958
8,308 births
Total Registered
205,436
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Darlene
Darlene is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 205,436 total births registered, 99.7% were female.
Darlene as a male name
Ranked #6,363 in 1989
7 male births in 1989
Peak: 1958 (29 births)
Darlene as a female name
Ranked #1,802 in 2024
111 female births in 2024
Peak: 1958 (8,279 births)
Darlene: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Darlene span from the 1890s to the 2020s, covering 14 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 62,024 babies were registered. Darlene has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Darlene by Decade
How has Darlene 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.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 11 | 0 | 11 | |
| 1900s | 92 | 0 | 92 | |
| 1910s | 1,000 | 0 | 1,000 | |
| 1920s | 7,438 | 12 | 7,426 | |
| 1930s | 26,065 | 109 | 25,956 | |
| 1940s | 40,461 | 140 | 40,321 | |
| 1950s | 62,024 | 138 | 61,886 | |
| 1960s | 43,677 | 150 | 43,527 | |
| 1970s | 11,533 | 48 | 11,485 | |
| 1980s | 5,191 | 7 | 5,184 | |
| 1990s | 3,348 | 0 | 3,348 | |
| 2000s | 2,371 | 0 | 2,371 | |
| 2010s | 1,685 | 0 | 1,685 | |
| 2020s | 540 | 0 | 540 | |
Darlene by State
Birth registrations for Darlene span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Pennsylvania, New York. The lowest are in Nevada, Alaska, Wyoming. On average, about 3,942 Darlenes were registered per state.
Darlene + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Darlene as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Darlene
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
Darlene: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Darlene?
We estimate approximately 125,919 people named Darlene 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 2,722 Americans share this first name.
Is Darlene a common name?
Darlene is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 205,436 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Darlene most popular?
Darlene reached peak popularity in 1958, when 8,308 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Darlene is approximately 65 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Darlene a female name?
Darlene is predominantly female. 99.7% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Darlene Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Darlene Smith, Darlene Johnson, Darlene 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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