Arlen, of German origin, is a unisex given name that gained popularity in the United States during the early to mid-20th century. It is derived from the Old German elements "ari" meaning "eagle" and "land," which signifies "eagle land." The name was popularized through use in literature, notably as Arlen in John Dos Passos' novel trilogy "USA.
It seems like the name Arlen experienced periods of popularity and decline over the years. There were several years with just a few births (5 or fewer), but there are also notable spikes such as 1989 with 13 births, 1998 with 19 births, 2007 with 31 births, and recently in 2022 with 24 births. Overall, since 1918, there have been a total of 767 babies named Arlen born.