Adlena
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from Latin roots meaning "noble" or "free woman".
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Adlena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Adlena today is around 94 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Adlena births was 1912 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Adlena. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Adlena is about 94 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Adlenas were born before 1942.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Adlena. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1912
8 babies that year
Average age
94
years old
1939 SSA rank
#4,253
Tracked since 1898
Popularity
Adlena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Adlena from the 1890s through to the 1930s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 19 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Adlena by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Adlena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Adlena
The name Adlena is a rare and unique moniker with its roots tracing back to the ancient Sumerian civilization of Mesopotamia, which flourished around 3500 BCE. Linguists believe that the name is derived from the Sumerian words "ad" meaning "father" and "lena" meaning "light" or "bright." Thus, the name Adlena can be interpreted as "father's light" or "bright father."
In the earliest known records, the name Adlena was borne by a high priestess who served in the temple of the goddess Inanna in the city of Uruk, one of the oldest cities in the world. This priestess, Adlena of Uruk, lived around 2500 BCE and is mentioned in cuneiform tablets that detail religious rituals and ceremonies.
During the Neo-Babylonian period, which lasted from 626 BCE to 539 BCE, the name Adlena appears in several administrative documents and records. One notable example is Adlena, the daughter of a scribe named Iddin-Marduk, who lived in the city of Babylon around 550 BCE.
In the ancient Greek world, there are records of an Adlena who was a philosopher and follower of Pythagoras, the renowned mathematician and philosopher who lived in the 6th century BCE. This Adlena is mentioned in the writings of Iamblichus, a Syrian Neoplatonist philosopher from the 3rd century CE.
Fast-forwarding to the medieval period, an Adlena is mentioned in the annals of the Benedictine monastery of St. Gall in present-day Switzerland. This Adlena was a nun who lived in the 9th century CE and is recorded as having been a skilled calligrapher and illuminator of manuscripts.
In the 15th century, there was an Adlena who was a prominent figure in the court of the Medici family in Florence, Italy. This Adlena served as a lady-in-waiting to the Medici women and is mentioned in various historical accounts and correspondence from that time.
While the name Adlena is rare, it has been borne by individuals throughout history, each leaving their unique mark in various fields and cultures. From ancient priestesses to medieval nuns, philosophers to courtiers, the name Adlena has carried a sense of brightness and enlightenment across the centuries.
People
Adlena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Adlena as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Adlena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Adlena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Adlena going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Adlena a common name?
We classify Adlena as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 47 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Adlena most popular?
The single biggest year for Adlena was 1912, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Adlena is about 94 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Adlena in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Adlena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Adlena in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Adlena still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Adlena in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Adlena can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Adlena?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Adlena on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.