Arlo is a unique and distinctive male given name of Native American origin, specifically from the Pawnee tribe. The name Arlo is derived from the Pawnee word " Harlow," which means "between two hills." It was traditionally given to boys who were born between two peaks or in a valley between two mountains.
The name Arlo gained significant popularity outside of its Native American origins through the works of American poet Edgar Lee Masters. Masters included a character named Arly Boland in his collection of poems, "Spoon River Anthology," published in 1915. The character's name was later anglicized to Arlo for the 1936 play adaptation by John Dos Passos.
In popular culture, Arlo is perhaps best known as the given name of American folk singer-songwriter Arlo Guthrie, son of the legendary Woody Guthrie. Arlo Guthrie has had a successful music career and is known for his protest songs, such as "Alice's Restaurant," which gained popularity in the 1960s.
The name Arlo has also been used by several other notable individuals throughout history, including American actor Arlo Hohl, known for his role in the television series "Picket Fences," and Canadian musician Arlo Parks, who gained fame with her debut album "Collapsed in Sunbeams" in 2021.
Overall, Arlo is a rare and unique given name with an interesting history and Native American roots. Its popularity has been influenced by its use in literature and popular culture, making it a distinctive choice for parents looking for a less common name for their son.
The name Arlo has a fascinating history of popularity and usage in the United States, as evidenced by the birth statistics from 1899 to 2023.
Initially, the name Arlo was quite uncommon. Between 1899 and 1945, there were fewer than 50 births each year with this name, with some years having no recorded births of Arlo at all. However, starting from 1946, we began to see a slow but steady increase in the number of Arlo births annually.
The turning point came in the late 1960s and early 1970s when the name started gaining traction. Between 1969 and 1973, the number of Arlo births increased from 17 to 49, indicating that parents were starting to favor this unique moniker for their children.
This trend continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with Arlo birth numbers ranging between 18 and 58 each year. However, it wasn't until the mid-2000s that Arlo truly began to surge in popularity.
From 2004 onwards, we see a significant and consistent rise in Arlo births annually:
* 58 births in 2004
* 64 births in 2005
* 73 births in 2006
* 95 births in 2007
* 101 births in 2008
This growth accelerated even further in the following years, reaching:
* 157 births in 2009
* 184 births in 2010
* 220 births in 2011
* 274 births in 2012
* 354 births in 2013
By 2016, Arlo had become one of the most popular boys' names in the United States, with 977 births recorded that year. This popularity has continued to grow:
* 1092 births in 2017
* 1266 births in 2018
* 1323 births in 2019
* 1695 births in 2020
* 1988 births in 2021
And as of the most recent data available, there were 2216 births named Arlo in 2022. To put this into perspective, between 1899 and 2023, a total of 19288 babies have been named Arlo at birth in the United States.
This analysis shows that while Arlo was once a rare and unique name, it has since become increasingly popular over time. Its resurgence in popularity is remarkable, especially considering how uncommon it was for much of the 20th century.