Darlene
A feminine name of unknown origin, meaning uncertain but possibly "little darling".
Name Census estimates that about 125,919 living Americans carry the first name Darlene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Darlene today is around 65 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Darlene births was 1958 (8,308 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Darlene. 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
- • Although Darlene is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 604 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Compared to the 1950s, recent registration numbers for Darlene have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
126K
~ 1 in 2,722 Americans
Peak year
1958
8,308 babies that year
Average age
65
years old
1989 SSA rank
#1,802
Tracked since 1896
Gender
Gender distribution for Darlene
Out of the 205,436 babies given the name Darlene since 1880, 99.7% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Darlene as a male name
- Ranked #6,363 in 1989
- 7 male births in 1989
- Peak: 1958 (29 births)
Darlene as a female name
- Ranked #1,802 in 2024
- 111 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1958 (8,279 births)
Popularity
Darlene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Darlene from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 62,024 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
Darlene 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 Darlene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Darlenes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, Pennsylvania, New York recorded the most babies named Darlene, while Nevada, Alaska, Wyoming recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 3,942 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Darlene
The name Darlene is a relatively modern English given name that emerged in the early 20th century. It is believed to be a combination of the names Darla and Arlene, both of which have separate roots and origins.
The first part, "Dar," is thought to be derived from the Old English word "deor," meaning "deer." This root is also found in names like Darcy and Daria. The second part, "lene," is believed to come from the German name Arlene, which itself is a variation of the name Arlen, meaning "little bear."
While the name Darlene does not have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its component parts have been present in various cultures for centuries. The earliest recorded use of the name Darlene itself dates back to the early 1900s in the United States.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Darlene was Darlene Harder, an American film actress born in 1921. She appeared in several movies in the 1940s and 1950s, including "The Big Punch" and "The Girl from Jones Beach."
Another famous Darlene was Darlene Love, an American singer and actress born in 1941. She was known for her work as a backing vocalist for popular artists like Elvis Presley and Dionne Warwick, as well as her solo hits like "He's a Rebel" and "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)."
Darlene Cates, an American actress born in 1947, is best remembered for her role as the mother in the 1993 film "What's Eating Gilbert Grape." Despite having a relatively short acting career, her performance in that movie was widely acclaimed.
In the world of sports, Darlene Hardick was a Canadian figure skater born in 1951. She won several national championships and represented Canada at the 1972 and 1976 Winter Olympics.
Lastly, Darlene Zschech is an Australian Pentecostal Christian worship leader and singer-songwriter born in 1965. She has written many popular contemporary Christian music songs and has been a significant figure in the modern worship music movement.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Darlene
People
Darlene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Darlene 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
Darlene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Darlene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 125,919 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Darlene 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 2,722 US residents.
Is Darlene a common name?
We classify Darlene as "Common". It ranks above 99.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 205,436 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Darlene most popular?
The single biggest year for Darlene was 1958, when 8,308 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Darlene is about 65 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Darlene a female name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Darlene 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.
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.