Darlane
A combination of feminine names meaning "darling" or "beloved one."
Name Census estimates that about 19 living Americans carry the first name Darlane. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Darlane today is around 73 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Darlane births was 1946 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Darlane. 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 Darlane is about 73 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Darlanes were born before 1963.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Darlane. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
19
~ 1 in 18,039,702 Americans
Peak year
1946
7 babies that year
Average age
73
years old
1963 SSA rank
#5,422
Tracked since 1946
Popularity
Darlane: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Darlane from the 1940s through to the 1960s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 17 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1940s peak, Darlane remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Darlane 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 Darlane 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 Darlane
The name Darlane is a modern English given name that emerged in the 20th century. Its exact origins are unclear, but it is believed to be a combination of the popular names Darla and Arlene. The name Darla is a diminutive form of the name Darla, which is derived from the Gaelic name Dervila, meaning "true housewife." Arlene, on the other hand, is a French name derived from the Germanic name Arlin, meaning "little earring."
While there are no known historical references to the name Darlane in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is a relatively new name that gained popularity in the United States and other English-speaking countries in the mid-20th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Darlane was in the 1940s when it was given to a few baby girls born in the United States.
Despite its relatively recent origin, the name Darlane has been borne by several notable individuals throughout history. One such individual was Darlane Fluker, an American actress and singer born in 1952, who is best known for her roles in television shows and films in the 1970s and 1980s.
Another notable figure with the name Darlane was Darlane Everitt, an American politician who served as the Mayor of Tacoma, Washington, from 1994 to 2000. She was a prominent figure in local politics and played a significant role in the revitalization of downtown Tacoma during her tenure.
In the world of literature, Darlane Armstrong was an American writer and poet born in 1942. She authored several collections of poetry and received recognition for her work, including the prestigious Pushcart Prize in 1978.
Moving to the realm of sports, Darlane Cuevas was a Puerto Rican basketball player who represented her country in various international competitions during the 1980s and 1990s. She was a key member of the Puerto Rican national team and is considered one of the greatest basketball players in the country's history.
Lastly, Darlane Gardener was a British artist and sculptor born in 1955. She gained recognition for her innovative use of materials and her unique sculptural forms, which were widely exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the United Kingdom and Europe.
People
Darlane + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Darlane as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Darlane: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Darlane?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 19 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Darlane 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 18,039,702 US residents.
Is Darlane a common name?
We classify Darlane as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 30 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Darlane most popular?
The single biggest year for Darlane was 1946, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Darlane is about 73 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Darlane in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Darlane a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Darlane in the SSA data are female. 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 Darlane still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Darlane 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 Darlane 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Darlane?
You can see how many Americans are named Darlane on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.