English name possibly meaning 'earless' in Old English, or a variant connected to 'earl' (nobleman).
Arliss is an American original, a name that emerged from the frontier vernacular of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, possibly as a phonetic elaboration of Arles — the ancient Roman city in southern France — or as a variant of names like Arlis or Harlis. Its precise etymology resists neat classification, which is itself part of its rugged, homespun character. The name feels entirely at home in the American South and rural Midwest, where inventive naming traditions flourished far from the formal conventions of European nomenclature.
The name's most beloved appearance in popular culture comes from Fred Gipson's 1956 novel "Old Yeller" and its classic 1957 Disney film adaptation, in which young Arliss Coates is the irrepressible younger brother whose reckless love for animals sets the story in motion. Arliss's portrayal — impulsive, tender-hearted, and utterly unafraid — gave the name a vivid personality in the American imagination. The name also surfaces in the 1999 film "Wild Wild West," carried by the villain Arliss Loveless, a contrast that illustrates the name's versatility across registers of hero and antagonist alike.
Arliss peaked in American usage during the early-to-mid twentieth century and has since retreated to the realm of the rare and nostalgic. For parents drawn to Southern Americana or to names with genuine literary pedigree, Arliss offers a warm, storytelling quality — a name that sounds like someone who has lived, and has stories to tell.