Given name & surname
Harlan
“an athletic woman”·“from the army”
Harlan is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “an athletic woman” (English) and “from the army” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “an athletic woman” (English) and “from the army” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Harlan through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 26,980
- 26,481 boys · 499 girls
- Most popular year
- 1924
- 519 babies
- 2025
- 490
- #617 for boys · #4,015 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +37%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 91% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 454 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 617 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 35.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 519 in 1924. It also appeared in 36 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (34). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 12,600 as a first name in 2020; 10,446 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Harlan’s family of names
Harlan has a related form in Harland. Harlan has a related form in Harlen. Harlan has a related form in Harlin.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Harlynvariant
- Harlynnvariant
- Harlandvariant
- Harlenvariant
- Harlinvariant
- Harlonvariant
- Harlunnvariant
- Harlonnvariant
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Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Harlan
- Harlan EllisonAmerican writer (1934–2018)
- Harlan CobenAmerican writerborn 1962
- Harlan F. Stonechief justice of the United States from 1941 to 19461872–1946
- Harlan Marbleyboxer (1943–2008)
- Harlan MathewsAmerican politician (1927–2014)
- Harlan LeonardAmerican musician (1905–1983)
- Harlan J. BushfieldAmerican politician (1882-1948)
- Harlan HagenAmerican politician (1914-1990)
- Harlan HowardAmerican country music songwriter (1927–2002)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Harlan, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Harvey
“one who is ready for battle” · “a strong man”
98% boys · 2% girls
Crawford
“from the crow's ford”
94% boys · 6% girls
Junior
“the younger one”
>99% boys
Booker
“one who binds books; a scribe”
>99% boys
Buck
“resembling a male deer”
>99% boys
Oswald
“the power of God”
>99% boys
Arnold
“the eagle ruler”
>99% boys
Arlen
“a solemn, binding promise”
80% boys · 20% girls