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Boy name · English

Arlo

Name meaning, origin and popularity

: meaning uncertain; perhaps from Spenser's Arlo Hill

Arlo is a boy's name that comes from English and means "meaning uncertain; perhaps from Spenser's Arlo Hill". It is used in English.

Meaning
Meaning uncertain; perhaps from Spenser's Arlo Hill
Origin
English
Gender
Boy
US rank
#148 in 2025

Meaning and origin of Arlo

As a boy's name, Arlo comes from English and means "meaning uncertain; perhaps from Spenser's Arlo Hill". It is used in English.

Its meaning puts Arlo on our nature names list.

Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names

Arlo on Nomezo lists

What our editors wrote about Arlo on 1 list.

  • “A modern favorite with a gentle, easygoing sound”

    From Bunny names, boy bunny names

How popular is Arlo?

US rank in 2025
#148
2,443 babies, 1,430 per million boys
Best rank
#146 in 2024
2,490 babies that year
Babies since 1899
At least 24,245
Years with under 5 are not listed
1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
Babies per million US boys, by decade (the 2020s so far, to 2025). Highest in the 2020s, at 1,269 per million.
Babies named Arlo per million US boys, by decade; highest in the 2020s
1880s0 per million
1890s4 per million
1900s26 per million
1910s71 per million
1920s66 per million
1930s65 per million
1940s28 per million
1950s14 per million
1960s7 per million
1970s23 per million
1980s14 per million
1990s11 per million
2000s35 per million
2010s361 per million
2020s1,269 per million
US rank by year
Year2016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Rank#349#316#277#271#220#190#169#158#146#148

Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.

Names spelled like Arlo

One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.

  • ArnoEagle (Germanic, boy)
  • ArvoValue, worth (Finnish, boy)
  • AliHigh, exalted (Arabic, boy)
  • AldoOld (Germanic, boy)
  • AresPerhaps from Greek words for bane, ruin, or male (Greek, boy)
  • AriA lion (Hebrew, boy)
  • AryaNoble, honorable (Sanskrit, unisex)
  • AkioBright man (depends on characters) (Japanese, boy)
  • AlfElf (Old Norse, boy)

Names with a similar meaning

  • MiriamForm of Mary, meaning uncertain; perhaps Egyptian beloved (Hebrew, girl)
  • AaronProbably Egyptian, meaning unknown; Hebrew theories say exalted (Hebrew, boy)
  • AlanMeaning uncertain; perhaps little rock, or from the Alans (Brythonic, boy)
  • KennethAnglicized Coinneach, handsome, and Cináed, perhaps born of fire (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
  • SamanthaPerhaps a feminine form of Samuel with the suffix antha (English, girl)
  • ArthurOf uncertain Celtic origin (Celtic, boy)
  • AthenaMeaning unknown; the Greek goddess of wisdom (Greek, girl)
  • DeclanMeaning unknown, though likely begins with Old Irish dag, good (Irish Gaelic, boy)
  • JacksonFrom a surname meaning son of Jack (English, boy)
  • JasperPerhaps treasurer, from Gaspar, one of the Magi (Persian, boy)
  • KnoxRound hill (Old English, boy)
  • MariaGreek and Latin form of Miriam, of uncertain meaning (Hebrew, girl)
  • NayeliPossibly from Zapotec words meaning I love you or open (Zapotec, girl)
  • XimenaFeminine of Ximeno, a medieval Spanish name of uncertain meaning (Spanish, girl)
  • AilbhePerhaps white or light, from Old Irish Ailbe (Irish Gaelic, unisex)

Middle names for Arlo

Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.

  • BurtonFortified town (Old English, boy)
  • ClarkCleric, scribe (Old English, boy)
  • GeorgeFarmer, earth worker (Greek, boy)
  • GideonFeller, hewer (Hebrew, boy)
  • NathanielGod has given (Hebrew, boy)
  • PeterRock, stone (Greek, boy)
  • PierceRock (Greek, boy)
  • ScottFrom Scotland (English, boy)

More boy names from English

  • AinsleyFrom a place named for a solitary or hermitage clearing (English, unisex)
  • ArmstrongStrong in the arm (English, boy)
  • AceFrom the English word ace, highest rank (English, boy)
  • AdairFrom a surname derived from Edgar (English, unisex)
  • AndersonSon of Andrew (English, boy)
  • AyrtonSettlement on the River Aire (English, boy)
  • BayA sheltered curve of coast (English, unisex)
  • BensonFrom a surname meaning son of Benedict (English, boy)
  • BrysonFrom a surname meaning son of Brice (English, boy)
  • CarterCart driver (English, boy)
  • CedarFragrant evergreen tree (English, boy)
  • ChaseHunter (English, boy)
  • ColterFrom a surname for a keeper of horses (English, boy)
  • CooperBarrel maker (English, boy)
  • CrewFrom the English word crew, a group of people (English, boy)
  • DawsonSon of David (English, boy)
  • EllisonSon of Ellis (English, unisex)
  • ForestWoodland (English, boy)

Arlo: common questions

What does the name Arlo mean?

Arlo comes from English and means "meaning uncertain; perhaps from Spenser's Arlo Hill". Checked against Behind the Name.

Is Arlo a boy or girl name?

Arlo is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 71 girls and 2,443 boys in the US were named Arlo, according to Social Security Administration data.

Where does the name Arlo come from?

Arlo comes from English and means "meaning uncertain; perhaps from Spenser's Arlo Hill". Today it is used in English.

How popular is the name Arlo?

Arlo ranked #148 in the US in 2025, with 2,443 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

What names are similar to Arlo?

Names spelled like Arlo include Arno, Arvo, Ali, Aldo and Ares.

What middle names go with Arlo?

Middle names that flow well with Arlo include Burton, Clark, George, Gideon and Nathaniel. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.