A FIELD REPORT ON THE NAME

Darlene

/dɑrˈlin/ · girl name · outside the top 1,000 in 2025
candied · twangy · forthright

Origin & Meaning

AI-Written
The name is a homegrown American coinage from the late nineteenth century, created by fusing the affectionate noun darling with the popular feminine suffix -ene. Official records first logged the spelling in 1896 with only a scattering of entries. It gathered steam alongside peers like Marlene and Charlene as midcentury parents favored rhythmic, pet-name inventions that sounded cheerful over a backyard fence.
Also answers toDar

Fig. 1 — Births per annum, 1896–2025

SSA Data
1896 peak: 8,307 souls, A.D. 1958 2025
2025: 108 born, falling ↘
Estimated Age
66 yrs
Most Darlenes were born around 1958 — predates the ZIP code.
Peak Reign
1958
№49 that year
Generation
Boomer, 60%
then Gen X 18% · Silent 13%
Rarity
Top 500 all-time
≈206K ever born · now falling
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Estimates from SSA birth records and standard survival rates. Immigration and name changes not counted.

Darlene grew up with

SSA Data
The Twist·45 rpm singles·banana-seat bikes

Generation Distribution — Living Darlenes

SSA Data
Silent 13%Boomer 60%Gen X 18%Millennial 5%Gen Z 3%

Data vs. Humans

What the data says

SSA Data
SSA: Darlene peaked in 1958.
Estimated average age: 66.

What people think

Opinion Ledger
Awaiting human data — cast the first votes.
Darlene sounds like someone born in —

Fig. 2 — Style Coordinates

AI Seed · Votes Override at n=30
Vintage Modern
Formal Casual
Soft Strong
Cast your vote No account · one tap
In your mind, Darlene sounds more like a —
Voting opens when the ledger goes live. No account. 24h cooldown per question.

Public Opinion Ledger

Ledger Opens Soon
The public has not yet weighed in on Darlene. Early ballots carry the most weight.

First Impressions

AI-Written
The name reads as an aluminum screen door snapping shut on a July evening. It carries the textures of postwar domesticity, from vinyl car upholstery and butterscotch pudding to bowling leagues with embroidered shirts. With sixty percent of living bearers belonging to the Baby Boom, it suggests a woman who balances her checkbook in blue ink and addresses the furnace technician by first name. It sounds deeply skeptical of QR-code restaurant menus.

Field Notes

AI-Written
Field Note 01
The name peaked in 1958 at rank forty-nine, welcoming around eight thousand newborn girls in that year alone.
Field Note 02
Almost entirely female across its lifetime, the name now carries an estimated average bearer age of 66.
Field Note 03
Only 108 infants received the name in 2025, down from a career total of roughly 206,000 recorded births.

Notable Darlenes

AI-Written
Darlene Lovesinger and actress, b. 1941
Darlene Hardtennis player, b. 1936
Darlene Conleyactress, b. 1934

Adjacent Names

Ephemera — If Darlene were a…

AI-Written
City
Bakersfield, California
Color
Butterscotch
Job
Junior high attendance secretary
Vehicle
1964 Dodge Dart
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