Orlan is a unisex given name of Latin origin, meaning "golden" or "spear". It is often associated with the Roman god of war, Mars, who was also known as Orlandus in some traditions. The name Orlan gained popularity in France during the Middle Ages and has since been used in various forms across different cultures. It is pronounced /ɔːrˈlæn/ in English and can be spelled in several ways, including Orlando, Oran, and Orland. Despite its Latin origins, Orlan is also found among the Basque people of Spain and France, where it means "between two hills". In literature, Orlan is perhaps best known as the name of a character in Ludovico Ariosto's epic poem "Orlando Furioso", which tells the story of Orlando's madness after being driven insane by love for the sorceress Angelica.
The name Orlan has seen significant fluctuations over the years. With a total of 946 births recorded between 1898 and 2022, its popularity peaked in the early 1920s with over 30 births per year from 1921 to 1926. However, it experienced a steep decline from the late 1920s onwards, with fewer than 20 births per year from 1928 until the mid-1950s. Since then, Orlan has been used relatively infrequently, with most years recording fewer than 10 births and several decades having no recorded instances of the name being given to newborns.