2000
#43,708
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 465
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Arlen
A place name referring to someone living near a meadow or clearing of land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 705 Americans carry the last name Arlen. That puts it at #38,716 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 486,176 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arlen surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
705
1 in 486,176
Census rank
#38,716
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
615
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 615 bearers of the surname Arlen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38716th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arlen
The surname Arlen is believed to have originated in England, with records dating back to the late 16th century. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the Old English name "Arnold," which is derived from the Germanic elements "arn," meaning "eagle," and "wald," meaning "power" or "ruler."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arlen can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Maidstone, Kent, where a certain John Arlen was baptized in 1587. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Wiltshire in 1628, where a Thomas Arlen is listed as a resident of the village of Corsham.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Arlen surname was primarily concentrated in the counties of Kent, Wiltshire, and Somerset in southwestern England. It is possible that the name may have originated from a place name or a locational surname, but no definitive evidence has been found to support this theory.
Notable individuals with the surname Arlen include:
1. Michael Arlen (1895-1956), a British-American novelist and playwright best known for his satirical work "The Green Hat," which was adapted into a successful Broadway play and film.
2. Richard Arlen (1899-1976), an American actor who appeared in many films during the silent and early sound eras of Hollywood, including "Wings" (1927), for which he won an Academy Award.
3. Edna Ferber (1885-1968), an American novelist and playwright whose full name was Edna Arlen Ferber. She wrote several popular works, including "Show Boat," "Cimarron," and "Giant."
4. Harold Arlen (1905-1986), an American composer and songwriter who is best known for writing the music for the classic film "The Wizard of Oz," including the iconic song "Over the Rainbow."
5. Walter Arlen (1920-1998), a British author and journalist who wrote several books on the history of medicine and the medical profession.
While the surname Arlen is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a long and fascinating history, with roots stretching back to the Anglo-Saxon period in England. The name has been borne by notable individuals in various fields, including literature, film, and music, further contributing to its enduring legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arlen
Among Census respondents with the surname Arlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Arlen bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Arlen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.1% · 511
- Black or African American10.4% · 64
- Two or more races2.6% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arlen
Arlen appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#54,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 379
-86 bearers (-18.5%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 10,710 places
2020
#38,716
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 615
+236 bearers (+62.3%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 15,702 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #43,708 | 465 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #54,418 | 379 | 0.13 | -86 bearers (-18.5%) | Down 10,710 places |
| 2020 | #38,716 | 615 | 0.21 | +236 bearers (+62.3%) | Up 15,702 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Arlen surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #54,418 | #38,716 | 28.9% |
| Count | 379 | 615 | 62.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.21 | 58.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arlen bearers went from 379 to 615 (+62.3% change). The surname moved up 15,702 positions in the national ranking, going from #54,418 to #38,716.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Arlen
FAQ
Arlen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arlen?
Name Census estimates that about 705 living Americans carry the surname Arlen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 486,176 residents.
How common is Arlen?
Arlen ranks #38,716 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 615 people with the surname Arlen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (705), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Arlen.
Has Arlen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arlen went from 379 recorded bearers to 615. That is an increase of 236 (+62.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #54,418 to #38,716.
What does the Census say about the background of Arlen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Arlen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.1% (511 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arlen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.1%), Black (10.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Arlen (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Arlen mean?
A place name referring to someone living near a meadow or clearing of land. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Arlen (0.21 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Arlen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.