Arnold

Did you know?

A few things about Arnold you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Arnold

Arnold Schoenberg

Austrian-Jewish American composer (1874-1951)

Choose Arnold and your child shares a first name with Arnold Schoenberg, an Austrian-Jewish American composer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Arnold, like who?” Arnold Schoenberg's Wikipedia article is available in 85 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Arnold Schoenberg on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Man Ray, CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 14,225 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Arnold, 120 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Arnold would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryArnold has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Arnolds, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1916, when it ranked #89. Today it's #1,477, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🚀TrendArnold has climbed 266 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #1,477. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedArnold is most popular in Minnesota, where it ranks #586, followed by Indiana (#844) and Ohio (#855). It's in the top 1,000 in 3 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Germanic, Arnold means “eagle power”. Our records link it to French, German and Old French roots.
• 🌍OriginArnold is the #10 most popular Old French boy name in the US. That's out of 21 Old French boy and unisex names in our list.

About the name Arnold

Arnold is a boy name of French, German and Old French origin meaning “eagle power”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with A and ending in “-old”. US birth records list Arnold for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1916, when it ranked #89 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,477, with 120 babies.

Origin:French namesGerman namesOld French names