Arn
A short form of Arnold, from the Germanic name meaning "eagle power".
Name Census estimates that about 46 living Americans carry the first name Arn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Arn today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Arn births was 1953 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Arn. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Arn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
46
~ 1 in 7,451,181 Americans
Peak year
1953
11 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
2013 SSA rank
#12,303
Tracked since 1949
Popularity
Arn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Arn from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 35 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Arn 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 Arn 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 Arn
The name Arn has its roots in the Old Norse language and is derived from the word "arn," which means "eagle." It was primarily used by the ancient Norse peoples who inhabited Scandinavia and parts of modern-day Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands during the Viking Age, which spanned from the late 8th century to the late 11th century.
The name Arn is believed to have been introduced to the Germanic regions of Europe during the Migration Period, when various tribes and peoples moved across the continent. The name's association with the powerful and majestic eagle likely contributed to its popularity among the Norse warriors and nobility.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arn dates back to the 9th century, when it was mentioned in the Old Norse sagas, a collection of legendary tales and historical narratives. These sagas often featured characters with names derived from nature, reflecting the Norse people's deep connection with the natural world.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Arn. One of the most famous was Arn Magnusson (1663-1730), an Icelandic scholar and antiquarian who played a crucial role in preserving and documenting the literary and cultural heritage of Iceland. He is renowned for his extensive collection of Icelandic manuscripts, which became the foundation of the Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection.
Another significant figure was Arn of Saxony (c. 1270-1320), a German bishop and statesman who served as the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from 1292 to 1312. He was known for his diplomatic skills and played a vital role in mediating disputes between various noble houses during a turbulent period in European history.
In the field of literature, Arn Falk (1882-1923) was a Swedish author and playwright known for his works that explored social issues and the lives of the working class. His plays, such as "Brutus i Babylon" (Brutus in Babylon) and "Tullnaren" (The Toll Collector), were widely acclaimed and remain influential in Scandinavian literature.
Arn Tellem (born 1954) is a renowned American sports agent who has represented some of the biggest names in basketball, including Reggie Miller, Jalen Rose, and Joe Dumars. He played a significant role in shaping the modern sports agency industry and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
Lastly, Arn Anderson (born 1958) is a retired professional wrestler and wrestling producer best known for his time with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/WWE). He was a member of the legendary wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest minds in the wrestling business.
People
Arn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Arn 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
Arn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Arn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 46 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Arn 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 7,451,181 US residents.
Is Arn a common name?
We classify Arn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 53.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 60 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Arn most popular?
The single biggest year for Arn was 1953, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Arn is about 64 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Arn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Arn 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.