Arlo vs Sham

Arlo and Shamcompared 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 2018, Arlo was ranked #36 and Sham #3959 among boys in England and Wales.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Arlo was ranked #1894 and Sham #3015 among girls in England and Wales.

Arlo and Sham over time

Arlo and Sham appear together in 1 published list, across 10 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.

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.

Sham 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 · Girls10 shared years, 2015–2024
Arlo held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Sham in 4.
Highest recorded here: Arlo #1469 in 2023, Sham #1782 in 2019.
The order changed in 2021: Arlo moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #2843 and #2843; by 2021 that had become #1785 and #4634.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Arlo #1894, Sham #3015.

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 Arlo, Sham
Field	Arlo	Sham
Record type	Editorially researched profile	Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usage	male	female
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	1
Common variants / nicknames	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ	GB-ENW
Most recent popularity observation	New South Wales, Australia · Boys #47 (2025)	England and Wales · Girls #3015 (2024)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	90/100	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	95/100	95/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	40/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Arlo has a recorded origin (Irish (place name origin, via literary adaptation)); Sham does not have one recorded yet.
Arlo has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Sham.
A meaning is recorded for Arlo; Sham doesn't have one written yet.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.

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

Sham

Popularity journey

First recorded1996
First recorded at #2863 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded2010–2024
Highest recorded position: #1782 among girls in England and Wales, in 2019 (recorded 2010–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #3015 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls