Arlo vs Bowie
Arlo and Bowiecompared 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 2024, Arlo was ranked #15 and Bowie #414 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Arlo was ranked #18 and Bowie #535 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2023, Arlo was ranked #40 and Bowie #348 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Arlo was ranked #54 and Bowie #509 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Arlo was ranked #638 and Bowie #638 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Arlo was ranked #1894 and Bowie #1541 among girls in England and Wales.
Arlo and Bowie over time
Arlo and Bowie appear together in 3 published lists, across 42 years of shared records. Arlo held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Bowie in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Arlo #14 in 2023, Bowie #414 in 2024.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys20 shared years, 2004–2024
Arlo held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Bowie in 0.
Highest recorded here: Arlo #14 in 2023, Bowie #414 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Arlo #15, Bowie #414.
Republic of Ireland · Boys13 shared years, 2011–2025
Arlo held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Bowie in 0.
Highest recorded here: Arlo #48 in 2024, Bowie #394 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Arlo #54, Bowie #509.
England and Wales · Girls9 shared years, 2016–2024
Arlo held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Bowie in 6.
Highest recorded here: Arlo #1469 in 2023, Bowie #1195 in 2021.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Arlo #1894, Bowie #1541.
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.
Side by side
| Field | Arlo | Bowie |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | Used for both boys and girls |
| Meaning | 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). | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Irish (place name origin, via literary adaptation) | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɑɹ.loʊ/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #47 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #352 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Arlo has a recorded origin (Irish (place name origin, via literary adaptation)); Bowie does not have one recorded yet.
- Arlo and Bowie both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Arlo; Bowie doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
How each name got here
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
Bowie
Popularity journey
First recorded2004
First recorded at #3651 among boys in England and Wales in 2004 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded2015–2025
Highest recorded position: #258 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2021 (recorded 2015–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #352 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls