Fun Facts About the Name Arla
- More than 2 thousand babies named Arla: U.S. records list 2,806 babies given the name Arla from 1880 through 2025. Even 17 boys received the name Arla - about 1 boy for every 164 girls.
What Does the Name Arla Mean?
Arla is a feminine given name used in Scandinavia, mainly in Sweden and Denmark. Its origin is not securely documented, and no single meaning is established. The explanation most often given links it to the Swedish word arla and the Old Norse adverb árla, both meaning "early" - the same Germanic root that produced English early - so the name is sometimes glossed as "early." That reading is a proposal rather than a documented etymology. The name may instead have begun as a short form of a longer Scandinavian name, as many feminine names ending in -a did, but no specific parent name has been established for it.
Arla Name History & Origins
Arla belongs to the broad group of short feminine names ending in -a that are common in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. Names of this kind often began either as pet forms of longer compound names or as ordinary words taken into use as names; for Arla, neither a specific longer name nor a specific word has been firmly documented as its source.
The Old Norse adverb árla, "early," and its modern Swedish descendant arla are the words most often mentioned in connection with the name. A link between that word and the given name is plausible but unproven.
In modern times the name is also familiar from Arla Foods, the dairy company formed in 2000 by the merger of Denmark's MD Foods and Sweden's Arla. Arla has been used as a given name in the United States as well.
How Popular is the Name Arla?
Arla recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1934. Its best rank was #855 in 1934.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,998 | 26 | 0.0016% |
| 2024 | #5,155 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 2023 | #5,981 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2022 | #5,805 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 2021 | #4,849 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 2020 | #4,894 | 26 | 0.0016% |
| 2019 | #7,393 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2018 | #5,806 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2017 | #7,495 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2016 | #13,047 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #10,989 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2014 | #14,786 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #16,842 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #15,173 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #15,040 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #17,834 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #16,764 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #8,028 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #12,522 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #11,952 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #11,443 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #11,026 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #6,994 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #5,168 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1982 | #7,519 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1981 | #6,838 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #4,531 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1979 | #8,103 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #6,419 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1977 | #5,233 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1976 | #6,659 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1975 | #4,879 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1974 | #8,859 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #4,376 | 13 | 0.0009% |
| 1972 | #5,131 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1971 | #3,956 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1970 | #3,216 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1969 | #3,787 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1968 | #2,712 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1967 | #3,214 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1966 | #2,253 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 1965 | #2,605 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1964 | #2,351 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1963 | #2,020 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 1962 | #2,266 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 1961 | #3,198 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1960 | #1,925 | 35 | 0.0017% |
| 1959 | #1,821 | 37 | 0.0018% |
| 1958 | #2,168 | 27 | 0.0013% |
| 1957 | #1,992 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 1956 | #1,761 | 36 | 0.0018% |
| 1955 | #1,517 | 45 | 0.0023% |
| 1954 | #1,838 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 1953 | #1,441 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 1952 | #1,523 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 1951 | #1,203 | 60 | 0.0033% |
| 1950 | #1,375 | 44 | 0.0026% |
| 1949 | #1,512 | 37 | 0.0022% |
| 1948 | #1,209 | 56 | 0.0033% |
| 1947 | #1,488 | 40 | 0.0023% |
| 1946 | #1,240 | 48 | 0.0031% |
| 1945 | #1,293 | 38 | 0.0029% |
| 1944 | #1,434 | 32 | 0.0024% |
| 1943 | #1,048 | 58 | 0.0042% |
| 1942 | #1,207 | 43 | 0.0032% |
| 1941 | #936 | 62 | 0.0051% |
| 1940 | #998 | 51 | 0.0045% |
| 1939 | #975 | 53 | 0.0048% |
| 1938 | #1,032 | 48 | 0.0044% |
| 1937 | #940 | 54 | 0.0051% |
| 1936 | #909 | 56 | 0.0054% |
| 1935 | #926 | 56 | 0.0053% |
| 1934 | #855 | 64 | 0.0061% |
| 1933 | #923 | 54 | 0.0054% |
| 1932 | #941 | 56 | 0.0052% |
| 1931 | #1,029 | 46 | 0.0043% |
| 1930 | #942 | 60 | 0.0053% |
| 1929 | #1,119 | 43 | 0.0039% |
| 1928 | #1,071 | 49 | 0.0042% |
| 1927 | #1,083 | 50 | 0.0042% |
| 1926 | #1,081 | 48 | 0.0040% |
| 1925 | #1,226 | 40 | 0.0033% |
| 1924 | #1,260 | 40 | 0.0032% |
| 1923 | #1,466 | 31 | 0.0026% |
| 1922 | #1,508 | 30 | 0.0025% |
| 1921 | #1,148 | 44 | 0.0036% |
| 1920 | #1,670 | 25 | 0.0021% |
| 1919 | #1,395 | 31 | 0.0027% |
| 1918 | #1,334 | 33 | 0.0029% |
| 1917 | #1,264 | 33 | 0.0031% |
| 1916 | #1,334 | 30 | 0.0029% |
| 1915 | #1,259 | 31 | 0.0032% |
| 1914 | #1,667 | 16 | 0.0021% |
| 1913 | #2,557 | 7 | 0.0011% |
| 1912 | #1,992 | 9 | 0.0016% |
| 1911 | #1,458 | 11 | 0.0026% |
| 1910 | #1,643 | 9 | 0.0023% |
| 1908 | #2,126 | 5 | 0.0015% |
| 1907 | #1,844 | 6 | 0.0019% |
| 1906 | #1,745 | 6 | 0.0020% |
| 1904 | #1,501 | 7 | 0.0025% |
| 1903 | #1,611 | 6 | 0.0023% |
| 1901 | #1,012 | 11 | 0.0046% |
| 1900 | #1,951 | 5 | 0.0017% |
| 1899 | #1,619 | 5 | 0.0021% |
| 1898 | #1,104 | 10 | 0.0039% |
| 1897 | #1,174 | 8 | 0.0034% |
| 1891 | #1,101 | 7 | 0.0038% |
| 1890 | #1,221 | 6 | 0.0032% |
| 1888 | #1,293 | 5 | 0.0028% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | #3,612 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1919 | #4,187 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1916 | #3,535 | 6 | 0.0007% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Arla Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Arla's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Arla's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.