Given name

Erlene

“bearing a powerful shield”

Erlene is a variant of Erlina. In Spanish use, Erlina carries the interpretation “bearing a powerful shield.”

Meaning & origin

What it means

Erlene is a variant of Erlina. In Spanish use, Erlina carries the interpretation “bearing a powerful shield.”

Explained through its name family

Where it comes from

Erlene connects to the Hermelinda name family through Erlina. An origin associated with Hermelinda is Spanish.

Explained through its name family

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1903. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Erlene through the years

Babies since 1880
2,332
0 boys · 2,332 girls
Most popular year
1930
74 babies
2025
0
Outside the ranked list
2021–25 vs 2016–20
—
Too few births to compare
020406080192019401960198020002025Highest share 19330.0
Erlene in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1903–2025, per million girls born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 8 in 1988. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 74 in 1930. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,151 as a first name in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Erlene’s family of names

Erlene has a related form in Erlina.

Walk Erlene’s family in the name graph

ErleneErlinaEarleneErlineErlena

Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Nicknames & forms 1

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

Across languages 3

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

Appears in

Similar names

If you love Erlene, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Old-fashioned

Emogene

0Not recently recordedCooling

>99% girls

Old-fashioned

Ernestine

“one who is determined; serious” · “one who is sincere and determined; serious”

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>99% girls

Old-fashioned

Allene

“beautiful and fair woman; dear child”

13Very rare

>99% girls

Old-fashioned

Willene

“determined protector”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

English · Old-fashioned

Earline

“a noble woman; a great leader” · “a nobleman”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Old-fashioned

Norene

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

German · Old-fashioned

Elois

“one who is famous in battle”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Old-fashioned

Arline

“an oath; a pledge”

0Not recently recordedCooling

>99% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Erlene’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Erlene