Arlander
Possibly an elaboration on the Greek name Arlen, meaning "pledge of nobility."
Name Census estimates that about 48 living Americans carry the first name Arlander. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Arlander today is around 77 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Arlander births was 1922 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Arlander. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Arlander is about 77 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Arlanders were born before 1959.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Arlander. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
48
~ 1 in 7,140,715 Americans
Peak year
1922
7 babies that year
Average age
77
years old
1961 SSA rank
#3,369
Tracked since 1917
Census
Arlander in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 105 people with the first name Arlander, which placed it at #52,717 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#52,717
National first-name rank
People counted
105
105 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
89.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arlander
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Arlander is Black at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and White (1.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Arlander described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Arlander at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.5% · 94
- Two or more races5.7% · 6
- White1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Popularity
Arlander: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Arlander from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 35 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Arlander by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Arlander during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Arlander
The name Arlander is an unusual and enigmatic one, with its origins shrouded in mystery. Some scholars believe it may have roots in ancient Germanic languages, with the prefix "arl" potentially derived from the Old Norse word "arli," meaning "eagle." This could suggest that the name was originally borne by those associated with the majestic bird of prey, perhaps as a symbol of strength and nobility.
Others trace the name's ancestry to the Scandinavian region, where it may have evolved from the Old Norse name "Arnljótr," a compound of the elements "arn" (eagle) and "ljótr" (ugly or fierce). This intriguing combination could have been bestowed upon a child with a fierce or intense demeanor, likening them to the fierce and powerful eagle.
Despite its obscure beginnings, the name Arlander has made occasional appearances throughout history. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Arlander of Pavia, a 6th-century bishop who played a pivotal role in the religious affairs of the region during the tumultuous transition from Roman to Lombard rule.
In the 11th century, Arlander the Red, a renowned Norse warrior and explorer, is said to have ventured across the Atlantic, establishing settlements in what is now Newfoundland, Canada. His exploits were documented in the Icelandic sagas, where he was celebrated for his bravery and adventurous spirit.
The name resurfaced in the 16th century with Arlander van Bredenhof, a Dutch mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the understanding of celestial mechanics and the motion of planets. His works were widely studied and influential in the scientific community of the time.
In the realm of literature, Arlander Eriksson was a celebrated Swedish novelist and poet of the 19th century. His poetic works, imbued with vivid imagery and emotional depth, captured the essence of the Romantic movement and earned him a place among the literary greats of his era.
More recently, Arlander Sowell, born in 1924, was an American architect renowned for his innovative and sustainable designs. His buildings, which seamlessly integrated with their natural surroundings, earned him numerous accolades and cemented his legacy as a pioneer in the field of eco-friendly architecture.
While the name Arlander may be rare and its origins enigmatic, it has left an indelible mark on history, carried by individuals who have excelled in various fields, from religion and exploration to science and literature. Each bearer has added their own unique chapter to the story of this intriguing and remarkable name.
People
Arlander + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Arlander as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Arlander: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Arlander?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 48 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Arlander going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 7,140,715 US residents.
Is Arlander a common name?
We classify Arlander as "Very Rare". It ranks above 53.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 125 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Arlander most popular?
The single biggest year for Arlander was 1922, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Arlander is about 77 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Arlander in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 105 people with the name Arlander, or 0.03 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #52,717 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Arlander in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Arlander?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Arlander leans strongly male. 102 people counted with this name were male (92.7%), compared with 8 female bearers (7.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Arlander?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Arlander is Black at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and White (1.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Arlander most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Arlander in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (94 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Arlander in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Arlander a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Arlander in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Arlander still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Arlander in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Arlander can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Arlander?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Arlander, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.