Alain vs Arlo

Alain and Arlocompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.

Head to head

Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.

England and Wales · Boys
In 2015, Alain was ranked #3908 and Arlo #102 among boys in England and Wales.

Alain and Arlo over time

Alain and Arlo appear together in 1 published list, across 9 years of shared records. Arlo held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Alain in 0.

The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.

Alain reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Arlo in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.

Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.

List by list

England and Wales · Boys9 shared years, 1999–2015
Alain held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Arlo in 8.
Highest recorded here: Alain #2425 in 1999, Arlo #102 in 2015.
The order changed in 2003: Arlo moved ahead. In 2002 they stood at #2425 and #2943; by 2003 that had become #3467 and #1188.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Alain #3908, Arlo #102.

Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Arlo

Pairs where Arlo shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Arthur vs Arlo
Arthur and Arlo both rose over the same years in 4 registrars — England and Wales · Boys; New Zealand · Boys; Northern Ireland · Boys; Republic of Ireland · Boys. Each list is measured against its own starting position; the positions are never combined.
Arthur · Arlo · 27 shared years, 1999–2025 · Moved together in several countries
Theo vs Arlo
Theo and Arlo both rose over the same years in 4 registrars — England and Wales · Boys; New Zealand · Boys; Northern Ireland · Boys; Republic of Ireland · Boys. Each list is measured against its own starting position; the positions are never combined.
Theo · Arlo · 27 shared years, 1999–2025 · Moved together in several countries
Arlo vs Ezra
Arlo and Ezra both rose over the same years in 3 registrars — England and Wales · Boys; New Zealand · Boys; Northern Ireland · Boys. Each list is measured against its own starting position; the positions are never combined.
Arlo · Ezra · 26 shared years, 1999–2024 · Moved together in several countries
Arlo vs Freddie
Arlo and Freddie both rose over the same years in 3 registrars — England and Wales · Boys; Northern Ireland · Boys; Republic of Ireland · Boys. Each list is measured against its own starting position; the positions are never combined.
Arlo · Freddie · 27 shared years, 1999–2025 · Moved together in several countries

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Alain, Arlo
Field	Alain	Arlo
Record type	Official statistical record (evidence-only)	Editorially researched profile
Gender usage	male	male
Meaning	Not yet recorded	Meaning uncertain — likely derived by Edmund Spenser from the real Irish place name Aherlow ('between two highlands') for the fictional Arlo Hill in The Faerie Queene (1590).
Origin	Not yet recorded	Irish (place name origin, via literary adaptation)
Pronunciation	Not yet recorded	/ˈɑɹ.loʊ/
Syllables	2	2
Common variants / nicknames	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	GB-ENW, IE	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ
Most recent popularity observation	England and Wales · Boys #3908 (2015)	New South Wales, Australia · Boys #47 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	Not yet recorded	90/100
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	94/100	95/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	60/100	100/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Arlo has a recorded origin (Irish (place name origin, via literary adaptation)); Alain does not have one recorded yet.
Alain and Arlo both have 2 syllables.
A meaning is recorded for Arlo; Alain doesn't have one written yet.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.

How each name got here

Alain

Popularity journey

First recorded1975
First recorded at #290 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1975 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1975–2004
Highest recorded position: #249 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1987 (recorded 1975–2004).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2015
Most recently recorded at #3908 among boys in England and Wales, in 2015.
England and Wales · Boys

Arlo

Popularity journey

First recorded1999
First recorded at #2943 among boys in England and Wales in 1999 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded2013–2023
Highest recorded position: #10 among boys in New Zealand, in 2017 (recorded 2013–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #47 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys