Earlene is a
given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...
, the
feminine
Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as socially constructed, and there is also some evidence that some behaviors considered fe ...
equivalent of the name
Earl. Both names derive from
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
term ''eorl'', meaning "
nobleman" or "chieftain".
The name may also be related to the
Irish Gaelic
Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was the ...
names
Arleen and
Arlene, which mean "the
pledge
Pledge may refer to:
Promises
* a solemn promise
* Abstinence pledge, a commitment to practice abstinence, usually teetotalism or chastity
* The Pledge (New Hampshire), a promise about taxes by New Hampshire politicians
* Pledge of Allegianc ...
".
Variant spellings of this name include Earline, Earleen,
[ Earlena, Erlean, and Erleen.][ Related names include Earla, Earley, Earlie][ and Erlinda.][
]
People
* Earlene Brown (1935–1983), athlete
* Earlene Fowler (b. 1954), author
* Earlene Hill Hooper (b. 1938?), politician of New York
* Earlene Risinger (1927–2008), professional baseball pitcher
* Earlene Roberts (1935–2013), politician of New Mexico
See also
*
*
*
References
{{given name
English given names
English-language feminine given names
Irish feminine given names