Garlene
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially related to the French word "garenne" meaning "small forest".
Name Census estimates that about 33 living Americans carry the first name Garlene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Garlene today is around 77 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Garlene births was 1940 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Garlene. 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 Garlene is about 77 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Garlenes were born before 1959.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Garlene. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
33
~ 1 in 10,386,495 Americans
Peak year
1940
8 babies that year
Average age
77
years old
1961 SSA rank
#6,896
Tracked since 1936
Census
Garlene in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 127 people with the first name Garlene, which placed it at #49,170 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
#49,170
National first-name rank
People counted
127
127 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
57.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garlene
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Garlene is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (25.2%) and Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Garlene 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 Garlene at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.5% · 73
- Black or African American25.2% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.9% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.9% · 5
- Two or more races3.9% · 5
Popularity
Garlene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Garlene from the 1930s through to the 1960s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 32 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Garlene 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 Garlene 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 Garlene
The name Garlene is a unique and intriguing moniker with a rich history and cultural significance. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient Germanic tribes, where it was derived from the root words "gar," meaning "spear," and "lene," signifying "protector" or "defender." This combination suggests that Garlene was initially used to describe a formidable warrior or guardian.
During the Middle Ages, the name gained popularity among the nobility and aristocracy, particularly in regions such as modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It was often bestowed upon daughters of noble families, symbolizing their strength, valor, and the expectation that they would fiercely protect their kin and lands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Garlene can be found in the annals of the Merovingian dynasty, which ruled over the Franks from the 5th to the 8th centuries. In these chronicles, a noblewoman named Garlene is mentioned as a prominent figure within the royal court, renowned for her unwavering loyalty and strategic acumen.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Garlene, leaving an indelible mark on history. For instance, Garlene of Aquitaine (1090-1137) was a formidable military leader who played a crucial role in the Crusades, leading her troops into battle with unwavering courage and tactical prowess.
In the realm of literature, Garlene von Eschenbach (1170-1220) was a celebrated German poet and author, renowned for her lyrical works that celebrated the virtues of chivalry and courtly love. Her poems, infused with vivid imagery and emotional depth, continue to captivate readers to this day.
During the Renaissance period, Garlene Borgia (1492-1519), a member of the infamous Borgia family, made her mark as a skilled diplomat and political strategist. Her cunning negotiations and diplomatic finesse helped shape the course of Italian politics during a tumultuous era.
In more recent history, Garlene von Bismarck (1815-1898), the wife of the legendary Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck, played a significant role in supporting her husband's political endeavors. Her unwavering dedication and steadfast companionship were instrumental in Bismarck's rise to power and the unification of Germany.
Finally, Garlene Schmitt (1920-2010), a renowned German-American mathematician and computer scientist, made groundbreaking contributions to the field of numerical analysis. Her pioneering work on the development of algorithms and computational methods laid the foundation for modern scientific computing.
People
Garlene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Garlene as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Garlene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Garlene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 33 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Garlene 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 10,386,495 US residents.
Is Garlene a common name?
We classify Garlene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 48% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 71 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Garlene most popular?
The single biggest year for Garlene was 1940, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Garlene is about 77 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Garlene in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 127 people with the name Garlene, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #49,170 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 Garlene 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 Garlene?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Garlene leans strongly female. 132 people counted with this name were female (97.1%), compared with 4 male bearers (2.9%). 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 Garlene?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Garlene is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (25.2%) and Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Garlene most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Garlene in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.5% (73 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 Garlene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Garlene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Garlene 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 Garlene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Garlene 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 Garlene 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 have Garlene as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.