Erlene
A feminine name meaning "noble" or "noble woman".
Name Census estimates that about 639 living Americans carry the first name Erlene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Erlene today is around 74 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Erlene births was 1930 (74 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Erlene. 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 Erlene is about 74 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Erlenes were born before 1962.
People living today
639
~ 1 in 536,392 Americans
Peak year
1930
74 babies that year
Average age
74
years old
1988 SSA rank
#8,635
Tracked since 1903
Popularity
Erlene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Erlene from the 1900s through to the 1980s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 578 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
Erlene 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 Erlene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Erlenes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. California, Texas, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Erlene, while South Carolina, Oklahoma, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 22 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Erlene
The name Erlene is believed to have originated in the Germanic language family, specifically from the Old German elements "erl," meaning "noble," and "lind," meaning "gentle" or "tender." This combination suggests that the name Erlene could be interpreted as "nobly gentle" or "tenderly noble."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Erlene can be traced back to the 9th century, when it appeared in the Codex Sangallensis, an ancient Germanic manuscript. However, the name's usage remained relatively obscure throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period.
The first notable figure to bear the name Erlene was Erlene von Metzingen, a German noblewoman born in 1329. She played a crucial role in the political affairs of the Holy Roman Empire during the 14th century, serving as an advisor to several influential figures of her time.
In the 16th century, the name Erlene gained some prominence with the birth of Erlene Dürer (1492-1569), the daughter of the renowned German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. She was known for her artistic talents and her collaboration with her father on several of his famous works.
Another historically significant bearer of the name was Erlene von Hohenzollern (1614-1672), a German noblewoman who served as the Duchess of Brandenburg-Ansbach. She was widely respected for her dedication to education and her patronage of the arts and sciences.
The 18th century saw the rise of Erlene Descartes (1721-1786), a French philosopher and mathematician. She made significant contributions to the fields of metaphysics and epistemology, and her work heavily influenced the development of modern philosophy.
In more recent times, one of the most notable individuals named Erlene was Erlene Haavik (1892-1978), a Norwegian explorer and writer. She gained international recognition for her expeditions to the Arctic regions and her vivid accounts of life in the far north.
While the name Erlene has never been among the most popular names, its rich history and unique blend of Germanic elements have endowed it with a sense of nobility and gentleness that continues to attract admirers from various cultural backgrounds.
People
Erlene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Erlene 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
Erlene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Erlene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 639 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Erlene 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 536,392 US residents.
Is Erlene a common name?
We classify Erlene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,332 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Erlene most popular?
The single biggest year for Erlene was 1930, when 74 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Erlene is about 74 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Erlene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Erlene 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.