The name Arlo is an English given name of uncertain origins, though it is believed to be derived from the Old English words "ær" meaning "before" and "lo" meaning "hill" or "mound". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a prominent hill or mound.

Another theory suggests that Arlo is a contracted form of the Italian name Arlotto, which itself is a diminutive of the name Carlo (the Italian form of Charles). If this is the case, Arlo would be indirectly linked to the Germanic name Karl, meaning "free man".

The name Arlo does not appear to have been widely used until relatively modern times, with few historical records or famous bearers from antiquity. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 16th century, when an English poet named Arlo Bates was born in 1850.

A more well-known historical figure with the name Arlo was the American folk singer and actor Arlo Guthrie, born in 1947. He is best known for his satirical song "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" and his performances at the Woodstock festival in 1969.

Another notable bearer of the name was Arlo Sheldon, an American football player who was born in 1879 and played for the University of Michigan. In the field of science, Arlo Landolt was a Swiss chemist born in 1835 who made significant contributions to the study of organic compounds.

Finally, Arlo Grifka was a German wrestler who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, where he won a silver medal in the heavyweight freestyle wrestling event.

While not a name with an abundance of historical references or famous bearers from ancient times, Arlo has gained popularity in recent decades as a unique and distinctive given name with possible ties to Old English and Italian roots.