From Old English meaning eagle wood or hare meadow; a unisex given name.
Arlie is a gentle, sun-worn name with roots in Old English topography. It most likely derives from place names such as Arley or Harley, built from Old English elements meaning variously "eagle wood," "hare clearing," or "rocky meadow" depending on the specific source. Like many English surname-derived given names, it made the leap from family name to first name during the 19th century, when Americans in particular developed a lasting affection for transferring earthy, place-rooted surnames onto their children as a form of family or regional pride.
Arlie was most common in the American South and Midwest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, appearing in census records as both a masculine and feminine name — a flexibility that was less unusual then than it might seem today. It shares this androgynous ease with kindred names like Harley, Marley, and Carlie. The name never achieved blockbuster popularity, which means it has always felt like a discovery — the kind of name you encounter on a grandparent or a great-aunt and find unexpectedly lovely.
Its quiet presence in old family trees makes it a strong candidate for the current wave of vintage revival names. In contemporary naming culture, Arlie benefits from multiple tailwinds: it sounds like familiar favorites (Carlie, Harley, Ariel) without being any of them; it works equally well on any gender; and it carries a frontier warmth — breezy and unassuming — that feels like an antidote to more elaborate name trends. It also ages gracefully, sounding at home on a child climbing a tree and equally at home on a professional signing a contract. There is something quietly confident about a name that has never needed to shout.