Arlie
A diminutive form of the name Arlo, itself a shortened variant of Charles.
Name Census estimates that about 3,222 living Americans carry the first name Arlie. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 72.6% of registrations being male. The average person named Arlie today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Arlie births was 1921 (249 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Arlie. 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.
People living today
3.2K
~ 1 in 106,379 Americans
Peak year
1921
249 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,768
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Arlie
Arlie is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 9,218 total registrations, 6,696 (72.6%) were male and 2,522 (27.4%) were female.
Arlie as a male name
- Ranked #5,061 in 2024
- 19 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1921 (170 births)
Arlie as a female name
- Ranked #2,768 in 2024
- 61 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1921 (79 births)
Popularity
Arlie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Arlie from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 1,942 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
Arlie 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 Arlie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Arlies live
The SSA's state-level files cover 24 states and territories. Kentucky, West Virginia, Texas recorded the most babies named Arlie, while Washington, Michigan, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 139 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Arlie
The name Arlie is believed to have originated from the Old English language, derived from the words "ærlic" or "arlic," meaning "noble" or "honorable." This name has its roots in the Anglo-Saxon culture and can be traced back to the early medieval period in England.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Arlie can be found in the Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as a variant spelling of "Ærlric" or "Arlric," referring to a landowner or freeman in various regions of the country.
During the Middle Ages, the name Arlie was primarily used by men, and it gained popularity among the noble classes and landed gentry. In the 13th century, there are records of an Arlie de Berkley, a prominent figure in Gloucestershire, England, who held significant landholdings and played a role in local governance.
As the centuries passed, the name Arlie continued to be used, albeit with varying degrees of popularity. One notable figure bearing this name was Arlie Muddiman (1610-1692), an English clergyman and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge in the 17th century.
In the 19th century, the name Arlie gained some recognition with the birth of Arlie W. Waterman (1829-1903), an American inventor and entrepreneur best known for developing the first practical fountain pen.
Another individual of historical significance was Arlie Alford Culbert (1881-1974), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada representing the district of Vancouver North from 1925 to 1935.
While the name Arlie has retained its roots in English-speaking countries, it has also been adopted and adapted in other cultures and languages. For instance, Arlie Hochschild (born 1940) is an American sociologist and academic, known for her influential work on the sociology of emotions and the concept of emotional labor.
Throughout its history, the name Arlie has been associated with a sense of nobility, honor, and respectability, reflecting its origins in the Old English language. Although not as common as some other names, it continues to be used today, carrying on its rich cultural heritage.
People
Arlie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Arlie 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
Arlie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Arlie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,222 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Arlie 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 106,379 US residents.
Is Arlie a common name?
We classify Arlie as "Rare". It ranks above 95.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9,218 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Arlie most popular?
The single biggest year for Arlie was 1921, when 249 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Arlie is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Arlie a male name?
Yes, 72.6% of people registered as Arlie 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.
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.