Arlington
Meanings & Origins
"Eorla's settlement (personal name etymology)"
Popularity
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“A stately English place name carrying American honor”
Origin & Etymology
Arlington is an English place name composed of Old English elements: earn (eagle) or a personal name Eorla, plus ing (people of, settlement of), plus tun (settlement, farm). The most literal interpretation is settlement of the eagle people. As a given name, Arlington follows the grand American tradition of distinguished place names becoming first names — a tradition that gave us names like Lincoln, Hamilton, and Monroe.
Popularity Story
Arlington has been gathering attention as parents seek longer, distinguished-sounding surname-style names with presidential and aristocratic weight. The -ington ending connects it to prestigious names like Wellington and Harrington, signaling status and gravitas.
Cultural Significance
Arlington is most powerfully associated in American consciousness with Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, where over 400,000 service members are buried. This lends the name both solemnity and honor. Arlington was the home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, whose estate became the cemetery after the Civil War.
Fun Facts
- Arlington National Cemetery is the burial place of President John F. Kennedy
- The Arlington estate belonged to Confederate General Robert E. Lee before the Civil War
- Arlington, Virginia sits directly across the Potomac River from Washington DC