Arlene

Arlene is a spelling of Arline, a name whose exact origin and meaning are uncertain. Arline appears as the heroine of Michael William Balfe’s opera The Bohemian Girl, and the name may have been created for that work. This gives the family a concrete nineteenth-century cultural connection even without a secure ancient translation.

Arleen is another related spelling, and Arlie is a familiar short form. Arlene later became an established English-language name in its own right. Its resemblance to Marlene or Darlene does not prove that it was assembled from either of them, since the Arline literary connection is older than many modern naming explanations suggest. The uncertain meaning can be stated honestly alongside that documented history.