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Home › Baby Names Directory › Arlene

Arlene

♀ Girl

Pronounced ahr-LEEN /ɑɹ.ˈlin/Medium

Meaning: Invented English name; a variant of Arline, likely coined by Michael William Balfe for the heroine of his opera The Bohemian Girl (1843); no inherited lexical meaningMedium

In 30 seconds: Arlene is an invented English name, a variant of Arline likely coined for a 19th-century opera heroine. It has no inherited lexical meaning.
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Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningInvented English name; a variant of Arline, likely coined by Michael William Balfe for the heroine of his opera The Bohemian Girl (1843); no inherited lexical meaning
U.S. rank (2025)#1632 ↗ Rising
2025 U.S. births127 girls (0.01% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1934
Total births (all-time)≈ 143,007

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 193418882025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Arlene is an English invention rather than a name with an old dictionary meaning. It grew from Arline, which appears to have been created by Michael William Balfe for the heroine of his 1843 opera The Bohemian Girl. The honest account is that its origin is theatrical and made-up, not etymological. Its variations are Arleen and Arline.

Despite its invented roots, Arlene settled into wide use as a graceful given name. Bearers include the actress Arlene Dahl (1925-2021) and Arlene Boxall (born 1961).

Did you know? Arlene is a spelling variant of Arline, a literary coinage most likely created by composer Michael William Balfe for the main character in his opera The Bohemian Girl (1843), so it keeps that same operatic heritage while changing the visual style.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Arlene — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

ArleenArline

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Arlene Dahl (1925–2021)
    Female public figure listed on Behind the Name.
  • ★Arlene Boxall (1961–present)
    Female public figure listed on Behind the Name.

If you like Arlene…

Marlene— Shares Arlene's '-lene' ending and similar sound.
Charlene— Another '-lene' girl's name with a matching rhythm.
Darlene— Rhymes with Arlene and shares its mid-century feel.
Serene— lands in the same popularity range
Divine— echoes that soft -ne sound

Explore names like Arlene

By themeenglishfilipino

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Arlene mean?

Arlene is a variant of Arline, a name with no inherited lexical meaning that was most likely invented by composer Michael William Balfe for the heroine of his opera The Bohemian Girl (1843). It is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Arlene?

It's commonly said ahr-LEEN /ɑɹ.ˈlin/.

Is Arlene a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Arlene is used as a girl name.

How popular is Arlene?

In 2024, Arlene ranked #1798 in the U.S. for girls, with 111 births recorded.

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