Darlin
A pet name expressing affection, derived from "darling".
Name Census estimates that about 866 living Americans carry the first name Darlin. It is a predominantly female name (90.8% of registrations). The average person named Darlin today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Darlin births was 2007 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Darlin. 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
866
~ 1 in 395,790 Americans
Peak year
2007
44 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,645
Tracked since 1950
Census
Darlin in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,223 people with the first name Darlin, which placed it at #7,011 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#7,011
National first-name rank
People counted
2.2K
2,223 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
83.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Darlin
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Darlin is Hispanic at 83.1%. The next largest groups are White (9.6%) and Black (4.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Darlin described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Darlin at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino83.1% · 1,848
- White9.6% · 214
- Black or African American4.7% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 41
- Two or more races0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Gender
Gender distribution for Darlin
Darlin leans heavily female at 90.8% of total registrations, but 82 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Darlin as a male name
- Ranked #7,857 in 2024
- 10 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (10 births)
Darlin as a female name
- Ranked #5,645 in 2024
- 22 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2007 (35 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Darlin on both sides of the split. Of the 2,227 people counted with this name, 685 were male (30.8%) and 1,542 were female (69.2%).
Popularity
Darlin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Darlin from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 282 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Darlin remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Darlin 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 Darlin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Darlins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Darlin, while Florida, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 58 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Darlin
The name Darlin originated from the Old English term "deorling," which translates to "beloved" or "darling." This affectionate term was commonly used as a form of endearment, particularly towards a cherished loved one or a dear child.
The earliest recorded use of the name Darlin can be traced back to the 13th century in various literary works and historical documents from England. It was often used as a diminutive or nickname for individuals with names containing the root "dear," such as Dearwyn or Dearborn.
In the 16th century, the name Darlin gained popularity among the lower classes and rural communities of England, where it was embraced as a simple yet endearing name for children. During this period, it was occasionally spelled as "Darline" or "Darlyne."
One of the earliest notable individuals to bear the name Darlin was Darlin de Monfort (c. 1235-1292), a minor English noblewoman and landowner in Leicestershire. Another historical figure was Darlin Woodstock (1410-1478), a renowned herbalist and apothecary from Oxfordshire.
In the 17th century, the name Darlin was associated with a famous English ballad called "The Darlin' Buds of May," which celebrated the beauty of springtime and the blossoming of nature. This association further solidified the name's connection to affection and endearment.
During the 18th century, Darlin Fairchild (1725-1798) was a notable English botanist and plant explorer who made significant contributions to the study of horticulture. In the same century, Darlin Pemberton (1740-1812) was a respected businesswoman and philanthropist in London, known for her charitable works.
In the 19th century, the name Darlin gained some popularity in the United States, particularly in the southern states. One notable figure was Darlin Merriweather (1820-1895), a renowned Southern belle and socialite from Georgia, known for her charitable endeavors during the American Civil War.
As the name Darlin continued to be used throughout history, it maintained its association with affection, endearment, and a sense of cherished love. Despite its origins as a nickname or diminutive, it has been embraced as a given name in its own right, carrying a warm and sentimental connotation.
People
Darlin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Darlin 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
Darlin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Darlin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 866 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Darlin 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 395,790 US residents.
Is Darlin a common name?
We classify Darlin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 892 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Darlin most popular?
The single biggest year for Darlin was 2007, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Darlin is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Darlin in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,223 people with the name Darlin, or 0.74 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,011 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Darlin in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Darlin?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Darlin on both sides of the split. Of the 2,227 people counted with this name, 685 were male (30.8%) and 1,542 were female (69.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Darlin?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Darlin is Hispanic at 83.1%. The next largest groups are White (9.6%) and Black (4.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Darlin most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Darlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.1% (1,848 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Darlin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Darlin a female name?
Yes, 90.8% of people registered as Darlin 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 Darlin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Darlin 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 Darlin 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.
How many people are named Darlin?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.