Angelena
A feminine name of English origin, meaning "messenger of God".
Name Census estimates that about 2,666 living Americans carry the first name Angelena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Angelena today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Angelena births was 2005 (119 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Angelena. 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.
People living today
2.7K
~ 1 in 128,565 Americans
Peak year
2005
119 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,458
Tracked since 1902
Popularity
Angelena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Angelena from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 886 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Angelena 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 Angelena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Angelenas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Angelena, while Wisconsin, Washington, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 54 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Angelena
The name Angelena is a feminine given name with roots tracing back to the Greek language and culture. It is a variation of the name Angela, which itself is derived from the Greek word "angelos," meaning "messenger" or "angel." The name's origins can be traced back to ancient Greece, where angels were revered as divine messengers and intermediaries between the gods and mortals.
During the early Christian era, the name Angela became popular among devout believers, particularly in regions with strong Greek cultural influences, such as parts of the Byzantine Empire and later in Italy. The name Angelena likely emerged as a regional variation or diminutive form of Angela, possibly in areas influenced by Latin or Romance languages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Angelena can be found in the 12th century, when a noblewoman named Angelena di Monferrato lived in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. She was a prominent figure in her time and played a role in the political affairs of the region.
In the 15th century, a renowned Italian painter named Angelena Bovi gained recognition for her religious artwork, particularly her depictions of angels and biblical scenes. Her works adorned numerous churches and monasteries across Italy, and her contributions to the Renaissance art world were significant.
During the 16th century, a notable figure named Angelena Merici founded the Ursuline Order, a Catholic religious institute dedicated to the education of girls. Her efforts in promoting female education were groundbreaking for the time and left a lasting impact on the religious and educational landscapes.
In the 18th century, Angelena Kauffmann, a Swiss-born painter and one of the founding members of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, achieved great success and acclaim for her neoclassical artworks. Her portraits and historical paintings were highly sought after by the nobility and aristocracy across Europe.
Another noteworthy figure with the name Angelena was Angelena Grimké, an American abolitionist, writer, and advocate for women's rights in the 19th century. She worked alongside her sister Sarah Grimké, and together they played a crucial role in the anti-slavery movement and the early fight for women's rights in the United States.
People
Angelena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Angelena 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
Angelena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Angelena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,666 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Angelena 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 128,565 US residents.
Is Angelena a common name?
We classify Angelena as "Rare". It ranks above 94.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,205 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Angelena most popular?
The single biggest year for Angelena was 2005, when 119 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Angelena is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Angelena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Angelena 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.
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.