boys' name ★ peaked 1924

Arnold

Meaning en (English) Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,477 Trend → Stable

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Rank 2025
#1,477
among boys · ↑210 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
120
named Arnold · +21% vs 2024
How common
1 in 14,234
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1924
2,031 babies
All-time total
104,396
#309 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Arnold popularity over time

104,396 babies have been named Arnold since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 404 404 40 – #243
1890s – 859 859 86 +113% #151
1900s – 1,546 1,546 155 +80% #117
1910s 87 12,586 12,673 1,267 +720% #89
1920s 162 19,531 19,693 1,969 +55% #91
1930s 107 17,888 17,995 1,800 -9% #98
1940s 68 16,036 16,104 1,610 -11% #118
1950s 57 13,196 13,253 1,325 -18% #166
1960s 51 9,501 9,552 955 -28% #223
1970s 18 3,688 3,706 371 -61% #332
1980s – 2,578 2,578 258 -30% #510
1990s – 2,695 2,695 270 +5% #561
2000s – 1,696 1,696 170 -37% #760
2010s – 1,000 1,000 100 -41% #1,433
2020s (to 2025) – 642 642 107 +7% #1,477

Where Arnold is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 122 0.07 outside top 500
2027 124 0.07 outside top 500
2028 125 0.07 outside top 500
2029 126 0.07 outside top 500
2030 127 0.07 outside top 500

Where Arnold is most popular

Boys named Arnold per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.064 per 1,000. Strongest in Minnesota, Texas, and California.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Arnold born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Minnesota 14 0.114 +78%
Texas 72 0.082 +27%
California 73 0.080 +25%
Pennsylvania 19 0.072 +12%
Florida 33 0.070 +9%
Indiana 11 0.069 +7%
Ohio 16 0.060 -6%
North Carolina 11 0.043 -33%
Illinois 11 0.043 -33%
New York 14 0.032 -50%
New Jersey 6 0.030 -54%
Michigan 5 0.024 -62%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Arnold

Arnold is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,477 in 2025 with 120 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 104,396 American babies have been named Arnold. Its peak came in 1924, when 2,031 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Arnold stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Arnold?

The median living Arnold is about 66 years old; half are between 52 and 77. An estimated 41 thousand people named Arnold are alive in the United States today.

median 66 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Arnold year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 120 #1,477
2024 – – 99 #1,687
2023 – – 105 #1,640
2022 – – 118 #1,524
2021 – – 112 #1,556
2020 – – 88 #1,744
2019 – – 115 #1,487
2018 – – 103 #1,593
2017 – – 120 #1,433
2016 – – 98 #1,629
2015 – – 95 #1,657
2014 – – 81 #1,828
2013 – – 97 #1,589
2012 – – 88 #1,713
2011 – – 113 #1,449
2010 – – 90 #1,698
2009 – – 125 #1,368
2008 – – 127 #1,349
2007 – – 137 #1,277
2006 – – 133 #1,255
2005 – – 153 #1,076
2004 – – 191 #901
2003 – – 213 #822
2002 – – 180 #898
2001 – – 219 #776
2000 – – 218 #760
1995 – – 236 #692
1990 – – 327 #561
1985 – – 193 #634
1980 – – 276 #510
1975 – – 321 #445
1970 5 #8,064 569 #332
1965 5 #6,599 945 #241
1960 9 #4,458 1,201 #231
1955 7 #4,767 1,315 #197
1950 5 #5,342 1,508 #166
1945 5 #4,597 1,407 #147
1940 12 #2,432 1,581 #118
1935 7 #3,445 1,883 #103
1930 11 #2,699 1,948 #98
1925 14 #2,497 1,972 #95
1920 9 #3,358 1,911 #91
1915 11 #2,548 1,691 #91
1910 – – 258 #126
1905 – – 144 #146
1900 – – 122 #171
1895 – – 96 #163
1890 – – 52 #229
1885 – – 33 #290
1880 – – 37 #276

Famous people named Arnold

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Schwarzenegger Austrian and American bodybuilder, actor and politician (born 1947) Contemporary
  2. 2 Arnold Palmer Arnold Palmer American professional golfer (1929–2016) Contemporary
  3. 3 Arnold Vosloo Arnold Vosloo South African actor (born 1962) Contemporary
  4. 4 Arnold Rothstein Arnold Rothstein American crime boss (1882–1928) 19th century
  5. 5 Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg Austrian-American composer (1874–1951) 19th century
  6. 6 Arnold J. Toynbee Arnold J. Toynbee British historian (1889–1975) 19th century
  7. 7 Arnold Böcklin Arnold Böcklin Swiss Symbolist painter (1827–1901) 19th century
  8. 8 Arnold Sommerfeld Arnold Sommerfeld German theoretical physicist (1868–1951) 19th century
  9. 9 Arnold Bennett Arnold Bennett English author (1867–1931) 19th century
  10. 10 Arnold Mühren Arnold Mühren Dutch footballer and manager b. 1951 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Arnold Bax Arnold Bax English composer (1883–1953) 19th century
  12. 12 Arnold Rüütel Arnold Rüütel President of Estonia from 2001 to 2006 b. 1928 · Contemporary
  13. 13 Arnold Wesker Arnold Wesker British dramatist (1932–2016) Contemporary
  14. 14 Arnold van Gennep Arnold van Gennep German anthropologist (1873–1957) 19th century
  15. 15 Arnold Janssen Arnold Janssen German-Dutch Catholic priest (1837–1909) 19th century
  16. 16 Arnold of Brescia Arnold of Brescia Italian Christian preacher (c. 1090–1155) 1100–1155 · Medieval
  17. 17 Arnold Zweig Arnold Zweig German writer (1887–1968) 19th century
  18. 18 Arnold Gehlen Arnold Gehlen German philosopher, sociologist and anthropologist (1904–1976) Contemporary
  19. 19 Arnold Ruge Arnold Ruge German political agitator and writer 1802–1880 · 19th century
  20. 20 Arnold of Torroja Arnold of Torroja Grand Master of the Knights Templar 1150–1184 · Medieval

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Arnold, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Arnold?

The median living Arnold is about 66 years old. Half of all living Arnolds are between 52 and 77 years old.

How many people named Arnold are alive today?

An estimated 41 thousand people named Arnold are alive in the United States, based on 104,396 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Arnold mean?

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How popular is the name Arnold in 2025?

Arnold ranked #1,477 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 120 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Arnold?

104,396 babies have been named Arnold in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Arnold most popular?

Arnold peaked in 1924, when 2,031 newborns received the name.

Is Arnold a boy or girl name?

Arnold is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Arnold rising or falling?

Arnold is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Arnold become more popular?

Arnold looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 127 boys named Arnold in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Arnold?

Well-known people named Arnold include Arnold Schwarzenegger (actor), Arnold Palmer (golfer), Arnold Vosloo (actor).

Names like Arnold

Names that sound and feel close to Arnold: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Arnold with similar names → More names starting with A →