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Gender: Male Origin of Arlo: Place-name, literary name, or short form of Carlo Arlo's Popularity in 2018: #278

Arlo Origin and Meaning

The name Arlo is a boy's name of Spanish origin.

Arlo has many possible derivations: possibly a shortened form of Italian name Carlo, and in Basque-speaking regions it is the word for area. In English, Arlo was first used by Edmund Spenser in The Faerie Queene and is thought to derive from the Celtic word Aherlow, meaning “between two highlands.” Arlo has become increasingly unisex, leading to the feminine variation Arlowe.

Arlo is one of the surprise hit names of this decade, jumping up the popularity list in the US, partially inspired by the character Arlo Givens on television's Justified.

Arlo, strongly associated with shaggy singer Arlo Guthrie, has an animated and cheery feel, thanks to its upbeat o ending. Arlo was chosen by Toni Colette for her son, which might give it a further bounce in popularity.

Arlo was popular in the first half of the twentieth century—it was Number 667 in 1915, for example. However, it's been experiencing a major revival. Arlo is even more popular in the UK and New Zealand and is a great favorite on Nameberry.

16 names similar to Arlo

These 16 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Arlo. If you didn't find an alternative name that you like better than Arlo, try our name generator. It allows you to go beyond the similarities of a name, which can provide a lot of inspiration!

Find other names based on Arlo using our baby name generator.

Lists containing Arlo

Arlo in Blog Posts

Popularity

Rank in US: #278
- this week

Famous People Named Arlo

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Arlo Davy Guthrie, American singer-songwriter
Arlo White, English sports commentator
Arlo Bates, American novelist, poet and journalist
Arlo Ray Nicholson (b. 2007), son of singers Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson
Arlo Kaplinsky (b. 2008), Son of TV journalist Natasha Kaplinsky
Arlo Robert Galafassi (b. 2011), son of actress Toni Collette
Arlo Schlupp (b. 2014), son of footballer Jeffrey Schlupp
Arlo Simpson (b. 2015), son of singer-songwriter Charlie Simpson
Arlo Walcott (b. 2016), son of footballer Theo Walcott
Arlo Carroll (b. 2016), son of footballer Andy Carroll and reality TV personality Billi Mucklow
Arlo Dagg (b. 2017), son of rugby footballer Israel Dagg
Arlo Gale Coleman (b. 2017), son of American singer-songwriter and musician Holly Williams

Pop Culture References for the name Arlo

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Arlo Givens, Raylan's dad on TV's "Justified"
Arlo Higgins, character on TV's "Sliders"
Arlo Day, main character in comic strip "Arlo and Janis" by Jimmy Johnson
Arlo Pear, character in film "Moving"
Arlo Dean, character British soap "Family Affairs"
Arlo, character in film "Orange County"
Arlo Glass, character on TV's "24"
Arlo Bunch, character in "The Sims 3" computer game
Arlo, main character in Pixar's "The Good Dinosaur"
Arlo Barth, character on TV's "Kirstie"
Arlo, a yellow lab owned by Rosa Diaz from Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Arlo Thacker, character in the second campaign of the podcast "The Adventure Zone"

Comments

Morri Arty Says:

2020-05-29T20:33:04

I love this so much!

thunderbolt9 Says:

2019-01-05T04:02:55

there is a kid named arlo at my school. People call him Waldo.

disqus_rFvbUoCFGb Says:

2018-02-22T21:40:13

One of my best friends just named her son Arlo and I really like it!

Haids1987 Says:

2016-02-04T16:42:36

I'm not sure why this name has been garnering so much attention on Nameberry lately. I am not a fan. It doesn't sound masculine or wearable to me, it just sounds unpleasant.

indiefendi2 Says:

2015-09-29T14:56:21

It's kinda quirky-cute to me. :) I like it way better for boys.

Marlz81 Says:

2015-08-24T22:34:41

This is my new fave for a boy.

Bobcat108 Says:

2015-07-10T19:00:47

Hipster friends just used Arlo for their baby boy, born in late May.

WhiteTail Says:

2015-06-08T21:39:18

Love this name. :)

eveyalecia Says:

2015-05-14T06:24:37

Yes, I've always seen it as "fortified hill" or "army hill" on other sites. And never a Spanish origin-- always English or Gaelic.

lalb Says:

2015-05-04T23:50:27

It means "fortified hill" on many other sites.
Was planning on naming my son Arlo since 2007, took a lot longer to get pregnant than expected, when I delivered my son in 2012 I knew his name was still meant to be Arlo.

Skittlewiddles Says:

2015-05-04T00:29:18

short and sweet yet masculine :)

Essa Says:

2015-04-13T09:15:01

I love the fact there's going to be a dinosaur called Arlo! But I also hate this fact. I was just starting to think Arlo could be a possibility and then this happens :(

Tilelli Says:

2015-04-13T08:54:10

There's going to be a Pixar character called Arlo (a dinosaur) later this year.

Laurel88 Says:

2014-07-23T16:19:20

I love how it is a handsome yet sweet name for a man and a cute name for a baby boy as well. Considering it for my baby if it's a boy.