Earlean
A feminine name of English origin meaning "noble warrior".
Name Census estimates that about 801 living Americans carry the first name Earlean. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Earlean today is around 76 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Earlean births was 1932 (85 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Earlean. 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 Earlean is about 76 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Earleans were born before 1960.
People living today
801
~ 1 in 427,908 Americans
Peak year
1932
85 babies that year
Average age
76
years old
1978 SSA rank
#10,188
Tracked since 1902
Popularity
Earlean: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Earlean from the 1900s through to the 1970s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 655 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Earlean 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 Earlean during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Earleans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Earlean, while Illinois, Georgia, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 148 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Earlean
The given name Earlean has its origins in the English language and can be traced back to the early 20th century. It is a combination of the name Earl, which is derived from the Old English word "eorl" meaning "nobleman" or "warrior," and the feminine suffix "-lean." This suggests that Earlean was likely created as a feminine variant of the name Earl, potentially to honor or commemorate a person of noble or military stature.
While the name Earlean does not appear to have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is worth noting that the root word "eorl" has its origins in the Germanic language family and was commonly used as a title of nobility among the Anglo-Saxons and other Germanic tribes during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Earlean can be found in various birth and census records from the early 1900s, primarily in the United States. It is believed that the name gained popularity during this time period as a unique and distinctive feminine name.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Earlean was Earlean Risinger (1907-1997), an American opera singer and voice teacher. She was born in Texas and had a successful career performing with various opera companies throughout the United States.
Another notable individual with the name Earlean was Earlean Stokes (1921-2007), an American civil rights activist and educator. She was born in Arkansas and played a significant role in desegregating schools in Little Rock during the 1950s.
Earlean J. Hickmott (1923-2013) was an American painter and artist known for her abstract expressionist works. She was born in Oklahoma and her paintings have been featured in various exhibitions and collections across the United States.
Earlean Sanders (born 1940) is an American politician and educator from Illinois. She served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1983 to 2003, representing the 6th district.
Earlean Whitmore (1923-2010) was an American businesswoman and philanthropist from Mississippi. She founded the Whitmore Furniture Company and was actively involved in various charitable organizations and initiatives in her community.
It is worth noting that while the name Earlean may not be as common today as it once was, it holds a unique place in history as a distinctive feminine name with roots in the English language and a connection to nobility and military valor.
People
Earlean + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Earlean as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Earlean: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Earlean?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 801 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Earlean 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 427,908 US residents.
Is Earlean a common name?
We classify Earlean as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,585 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Earlean most popular?
The single biggest year for Earlean was 1932, when 85 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Earlean is about 76 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Earlean a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Earlean 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.