Arlo vs Shams
Arlo and Shamscompared 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 2023, Arlo was ranked #14 and Shams #4991 among boys in England and Wales.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Arlo was ranked #1894 and Shams #2411 among girls in England and Wales.
Arlo and Shams over time
Arlo and Shams appear together in 2 published lists, across 19 years of shared records. Arlo held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Shams 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.
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.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys11 shared years, 2001–2023
Arlo held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Shams in 0.
Highest recorded here: Arlo #14 in 2023, Shams #3134 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Arlo #14, Shams #4991.
England and Wales · Girls8 shared years, 2016–2024
Arlo held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Shams in 1.
Highest recorded here: Arlo #1469 in 2023, Shams #2411 in 2024.
The order changed in 2020: Arlo moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #3541 and #3541; by 2020 that had become #2843 and #3899.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Arlo #1894, Shams #2411.
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
| Field | Arlo | Shams |
|---|---|---|
| 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 #2411 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| 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)); Shams does not have one recorded yet.
- Arlo has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Shams.
- A meaning is recorded for Arlo; Shams 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
Shams
Popularity journey
First recorded1997
First recorded at #2859 among boys in England and Wales in 1997 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded1998–2024
Highest recorded position: #2411 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024 (recorded 1998–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2411 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls