Arlette
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Meaning
medieval Norman French name of uncertain Germanic origin
The story
Arlette reaches the Middle Ages through a naming problem. The woman remembered as William the Conqueror's mother appears in contemporary sources as Herleva; Arlette is the later French form by which many readers know her. That distinction matters because romantic retellings have often filled the gaps in her life with colorful scenes that cannot be verified. What can be said is already substantial. Herleva had a son, William, outside marriage with Robert of Normandy. William survived a dangerous childhood, became duke, and eventually conquered England, placing his mother's family near the hinge of European history. Yet the person at the beginning of that line remains partly obscured, even down to the form of her name. Arlette therefore offers a better story than a polished legend: it shows how history can remember a woman's consequence more clearly than her own voice. The uncertainty is not empty space to decorate. It is part of what the name carries.
How popular is Arlette around the world?
In the United States, 2,349 babies were named Arlette between 2020 and 2025. In Puerto Rico, 10 babies were named Arlette in 2025, and 63 have carried the name since 1998.
Arlette is on the official records of the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico City, Chile, Canada, Argentina, Spain, France, England and Wales and Brazil.
United States
1 in 9,300
In the United States, 2,349 babies were named Arlette between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Arlette peaked in the 2020s.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Puerto Rico
1 in 1,800
In Puerto Rico, 10 babies were named Arlette in 2025, and 63 have carried the name since 1998.
share of that year’s births on record
First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)
Mexico City City
1 in 2,200
In Mexico City, there were 53 registrations of Arlette in 2022.
share of that year’s registrations in the city
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (3 registrations through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Chile
1 in 4,500
In Chile, 40 girls were registered as Arlette in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
share of that year’s name registrations
First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021
Canada
1 in 61,000
In Canada, 6 girls named Arlette were born in 2024, ranked 3,027th among girls that year.
The count never rose above 7 in a year, too few to chart.
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Argentina
1 in 83,000
In Argentina, 8 newborns were given the name Arlette in 2024.
share of that year’s name registrations
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Spain
1 in 120,000
In Spain, 366 residents are named Arlette, ranked 2,837th among women, with a mean age of 28.5 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
France
1 in 130,000
In France, about 5 girls named Arlette were born in 2025, ranked 4,565th among girls that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
England and Wales
1 in 150,000
In England and Wales, 4 girls named Arlette were born in 2025, ranked 4,867th among girls that year.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Brazil
1 in 330,000
At the 2022 census, 513 people in Brazil were named Arlette, ranked 13,132nd, with a median age of 83.
Among people named Arlette living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1930s than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Austria
last on record 2022
Arlette is not on the 2025 record for Austria, which publishes every first name down to a single birth, so the name was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Ireland
last on record 1977
Arlette is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Montevideo City
last on record 1997
Arlette is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
South Australia
last on record 2011
Arlette is not on the 2017 record for South Australia, whose registry publishes every name given that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Not on the record in New Zealand, Scotland and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Arlette
Most people given the name Arlette in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Arlette deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Arlette truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Arlette fits with your family’s names and surname.
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