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Home › Baby Names Directory › Harlan

Harlan

♀ Girl

Pronounced HAR-lən /ˈhɑr.lən/High

Meaning: From an English place name, 'hare land' or 'rocky land' (Old English hara + land), via the surnameMedium

In 30 seconds: A surname with a Supreme Court robe and a county in Kentucky: Harlan — 'hare land' by likeliest reading — crosses to girls with the Harper-Marlowe set. Quietly literary, freshly feminine.
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Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningFrom an English place name, 'hare land' or 'rocky land' (Old English hara + land), via the surname
U.S. rank (2025)#4015 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births36 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year2023
Total births (all-time)≈ 499

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 202319252025

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

Harlan comes from an English place name — Old English hara, 'hare', plus land, or a 'rocky land' reading — that became a surname carried by two Supreme Court justices and bestselling novelist Harlan Coben. As a girls' first name it rides the surname-for-daughters wave with Harper and Sloane.

It registers thinly for girls in recent records. Rare, brainy, and Harper-adjacent.

Did you know? Justice John Marshall Harlan was the lone dissenter in Plessy v. Ferguson, writing that 'our Constitution is color-blind' — giving this surname a place in civil-rights history.
Overall data confidence 75%
Dictionary of American Family Names — Harlan — surname origin, debated

Variations

HarlandHarlenHarlyn

Nicknames

HarlieLan

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Harlan…

Harper— the flagship surname-for-girls of the era
Marlowe— a fellow literary surname for daughters
Sloane— the sleek companion crossover
Emerson— another surname claimed by girls

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Harlan mean?

Harlan comes from an English place name meaning 'hare land' or 'rocky land', via the surname.

How do you pronounce Harlan?

It's said HAR-lən /ˈhɑr.lən/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Harlan a boy or girl name?

Harlan is mostly a boy's name; this page covers its growing use for girls.

How popular is Harlan?

Harlan is a rare name for girls in the U.S.

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