Garlin
Of uncertain origin, possibly a derivative of Charles or variants.
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the first name Garlin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Garlin today is around 76 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Garlin births was 1920 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Garlin. 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 Garlin is about 76 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Garlins were born before 1960.
People living today
123
~ 1 in 2,786,621 Americans
Peak year
1920
16 babies that year
Average age
76
years old
1968 SSA rank
#4,339
Tracked since 1912
Census
Garlin in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 211 people with the first name Garlin, which placed it at #37,164 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
#37,164
National first-name rank
People counted
211
211 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
65.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garlin
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Garlin is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (23.7%) and Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Garlin 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 Garlin at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.9% · 139
- Black or African American23.7% · 50
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 11
- Two or more races4.3% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 2
Popularity
Garlin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Garlin from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 122 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Garlin 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 Garlin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Garlins live
Origin
Meaning and history of Garlin
The given name Garlin has its roots in the Germanic languages, particularly Old English and Old Norse. It is believed to have originated around the 5th to 10th centuries AD, during the early medieval period.
The name Garlin is derived from the Old English word "gār" meaning "spear" and the Old Norse word "linna" meaning "snake" or "serpent." Together, these elements suggest the name Garlin may have been associated with warriors or hunters skilled with the spear, perhaps considered as swift and cunning as a snake.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Garlin can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. There, a landowner named Garlin is listed among the tenants of Essex.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Garlin was Garlin le Vineter, a prominent English vineyard owner and wine merchant who lived in the 13th century. He was known for introducing new winemaking techniques and establishing vineyards in various parts of England.
Another historical figure with the name Garlin was Garlin de Nanteuil, a French knight who fought in the Third Crusade alongside King Richard I of England. He was renowned for his bravery and skill in battle and is mentioned in several contemporary chronicles of the Crusades.
In the 15th century, there was a German poet and scholar named Garlin von Ingolstadt, who was known for his works on astrology and astronomy. He served as a court poet to several German princes and was highly regarded for his literary achievements.
During the Renaissance period, Garlin de' Medici was an Italian nobleman and patron of the arts, known for his involvement in the cultural and intellectual life of Florence. He was a member of the powerful Medici family and supported many artists and scholars of the time.
While the name Garlin has become relatively uncommon in modern times, it has a rich historical background rooted in the Germanic languages and cultures of medieval Europe. The name's association with warriors, hunters, and nobility reflects its ancient origins and the values held by those who bore it throughout history.
People
Garlin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Garlin 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
Garlin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Garlin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 123 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Garlin 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 2,786,621 US residents.
Is Garlin a common name?
We classify Garlin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 422 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Garlin most popular?
The single biggest year for Garlin was 1920, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Garlin is about 76 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Garlin in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 211 people with the name Garlin, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #37,164 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 Garlin 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 Garlin?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Garlin leans strongly male. 192 people counted with this name were male (89.3%), compared with 23 female bearers (10.7%). 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 Garlin?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Garlin is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (23.7%) and Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Garlin most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Garlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.9% (139 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 Garlin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Garlin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Garlin in the SSA data are male. 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 Garlin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Garlin 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 Garlin 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 called Garlin?
You can see how many Americans are named Garlin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.