Holding steady, #10,695 for boys today.
Popularity of Norlan since 1926
Babies named Norlan per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 11 |
| 1930s | 5 |
| 1940s | 11 |
| 1950s | 11 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 5 |
| 2000s | 12 |
| 2010s | 43 |
| 2020s | 37 |
Meaning & origin
Norlan is an extremely rare American given name. It first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1926, but for decades it was virtually unused. Its peak year so far was 2021, though even then it remained very uncommon. As of 2025, the name ranks 10,695th, with an incidence of about 1 in 284,679 boys. The trajectory is stable, with no significant surge or decline. Norlan has not been recorded in any top state data, suggesting it appears sporadically across the country without regional concentration. Given its obscurity, it has no widely recognized etymology; it may be a modern variant of the surname Norland or a blend of elements from more familiar names like Norman or Nolan.
Norlan is a rare name of uncertain origin. It may be a modern variant of Norland, a surname and place name derived from Old English norþ 'north' and land 'land'. Alternatively, it could be a modern coinage combining the popular prefix 'Nor' (as in Norman or Norris) with the suffix 'lan' from names like Dylan or Nolan. Its use as a given name first appeared in the United States in 1926 but remained very uncommon until a small uptick in the 2020s.
Nicknames & variants
Variants: Norland
Sibling names for Norlan
Names that share Norlan's style, for a brother or sister.
