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Jerlene

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Jerlene

Pronounced jur-LEEN /dʒərˈliːn/Medium

Meaning: Jerlene joins the Jer- of Geraldine or Jerry with the fashionable -lene ending heard in Arlene and Charlene. Geraldine, its likeliest base, is the feminine of Gerald, from Germanic for 'ruler with the spear', so Jerlene carries a faint echo of that.Low

In 30 seconds: Jerlene fuses Geraldine's Jer- with the -lene of Arlene, a tidy mid-century coinage (said 'jur-LEEN').

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Origin LowEnglish

MeaningJerlene joins the Jer- of Geraldine or Jerry with the fashionable -lene ending heard in Arlene and Charlene. Geraldine, its likeliest base, is the feminine of Gerald, from Germanic for 'ruler with the spear', so Jerlene carries a faint echo of that.

U.S. rank (1988)#10927 ↗ Rising

1988 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1947

Total births (all-time)≈ 924

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

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

Jerlene is an American coinage that pairs the Jer- of Geraldine or Jerry with the -lene suffix popular in the mid-twentieth century. Geraldine, the feminine of Gerald, means 'ruler with the spear' in its Germanic roots, and Jerlene borrows that opening while its ending simply follows the fashion of Arlene and Charlene.

It was a real rarity, borne by only a few dozen girls a year and cresting faintly in the late nineteen-forties before fading by the late nineteen-eighties. It reads as a mid-century name of its moment and has not revived.

Did you know? The -lene ending drove a whole family of mid-century names — Arlene, Charlene, Marlene, Jerlene — each built by bolting the stylish suffix onto a familiar first syllable.

Overall data confidence 45%

References — Geraldine / -lene names — Jerlene = blend of Geraldine + -lene (Arlene)

Variations

JerleanJerline

Nicknames

Jeri

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Jerlene…

Arlene— the -lene name whose ending Jerlene copies

Geraldine— the likeliest base for the Jer- opening

Charlene— a fellow mid-century -lene coinage

Jolene— shares the J- start and -lene rhythm

Explore names like Jerlene

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Jerlene mean?

Jerlene blends the Jer- of Geraldine with the -lene ending of Arlene; Geraldine means 'ruler with the spear'.

How do you pronounce Jerlene?

It's said jur-LEEN /dʒərˈliːn/ — two syllables, stress on the second.

Is Jerlene a boy or girl name?

Jerlene is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Jerlene?

Jerlene has always been rare, a mid-century coinage most seen in the nineteen-forties and fifties.