Arlo vs Tor
Arlo and Torcompared 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 2022, Arlo was ranked #18 and Tor #3449 among boys in England and Wales.
Arlo and Tor over time
Arlo and Tor appear together in 1 published list, across 24 years of shared records. Arlo held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Tor 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.
Tor 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 · Boys24 shared years, 1999–2022
Arlo held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Tor in 2.
Highest recorded here: Arlo #18 in 2022, Tor #1281 in 1999.
The order changed in 2002: Arlo moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #1949 and #1746; by 2002 that had become #848 and #2636.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Arlo #18, Tor #3449.
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 | Tor |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| 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, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #47 (2025) | Norway · Boys #203 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Arlo has a recorded origin (Irish (place name origin, via literary adaptation)); Tor does not have one recorded yet.
- Arlo has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Tor.
- A meaning is recorded for Arlo; Tor 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
Tor
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #14 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #10 among boys in Norway, in 1948 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #203 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys