Athelene
A feminine name derived from the Greek "athlos" meaning "contest" or "struggle".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Athelene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Athelene today is around 87 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Athelene births was 1916 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Athelene. 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 Athelene is about 87 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Athelenes were born before 1949.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Athelene. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1916
9 babies that year
Average age
87
years old
1937 SSA rank
#3,462
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Athelene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Athelene from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 59 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Athelene remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Athelene 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 Athelene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Athelenes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Athelene
The name Athelene is an English given name derived from the Old English words "æðele" meaning "noble" and "lēna" meaning "delicate". This name originated in the Anglo-Saxon era, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD, when the Old English language was spoken in what is now England.
While not as common as some other English names, Athelene has been in use for centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name is found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. An entry in the book mentions an Athelene of Berkshire, suggesting the name's use in the late 11th century.
In the Middle Ages, the name Athelene was occasionally bestowed upon noblewomen, likely due to its connection to the Old English word for "noble". One notable bearer of this name was Athelene de Montfort, a 13th-century English noblewoman and the daughter of Simon de Montfort, a prominent baron during the reign of King Henry III.
As time passed, the name Athelene became less common but continued to be used sporadically. In the 16th century, an Athelene Harrington was recorded as a member of a prominent English family. In the 18th century, Athelene Boleyn, a distant relative of Anne Boleyn, was a noted author and poet.
Another historical figure with the name Athelene was Athelene Sedgwick (1783-1867), an American author and educator who founded one of the earliest schools for young women in the United States. Her memoir, published in 1841, provides valuable insights into education and social life in early 19th-century America.
While not as widely used as some other English names, Athelene has a long and fascinating history, dating back to the Anglo-Saxon era and carrying connotations of nobility and delicacy. From noblewomen in the Middle Ages to authors and educators in more recent times, this name has been borne by individuals who have left their mark on history.
People
Athelene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Athelene 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
Athelene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Athelene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Athelene 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Athelene a common name?
We classify Athelene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 110 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Athelene most popular?
The single biggest year for Athelene was 1916, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Athelene is about 87 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Athelene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Athelene 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.