Balen
A Persian name meaning "strength" or "courage".
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the first name Balen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Balen today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Balen births was 2015 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Balen. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Balen with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
123
~ 1 in 2,786,621 Americans
Peak year
2015
14 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2020 SSA rank
#12,232
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Balen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Balen from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 83 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Balen 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 Balen 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 Balen
The name Balen is derived from the Sanskrit word "bala," which means "strength" or "power." It is believed to have originated in ancient India, where it was used as a name for male children born into warrior or ruling classes. The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 6th century BCE, when it appears in Hindu religious texts and historical records.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Balen was Balen Sagar, a renowned Indian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 5th century CE. He is credited with making significant contributions to the development of trigonometry and the calculation of planetary movements.
In the 12th century, a Rajput warrior named Balen Singh fought bravely against invading Muslim forces in the region now known as Rajasthan. His valiant efforts and leadership during the battles earned him a place in the annals of Indian history.
During the Mughal era in the 16th century, Balen Khan was a prominent military commander who served under the Emperor Akbar. He played a crucial role in several military campaigns and was known for his strategic brilliance on the battlefield.
In the realm of literature, Balen is a character in the Arthurian legend of "The Knight of the Cart" by Chrétien de Troyes, a 12th-century French poet and trouvère. In this tale, Balen is portrayed as a skilled and courageous knight who undertakes a perilous quest.
Another notable figure with the name Balen was Balen Ibragimov, a Russian chess grandmaster who lived from 1919 to 2001. He was a prominent figure in the Soviet chess scene and won numerous international tournaments throughout his career.
These are just a few examples of individuals named Balen who have left their mark on history, whether through their achievements in fields such as mathematics, warfare, literature, or chess. The name's connection to strength and power has endured throughout the ages, making it a significant part of various cultural and historical contexts.
People
Balen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Balen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Balen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Balen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 123 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Balen 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 2,786,621 US residents.
Is Balen a common name?
We classify Balen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 124 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Balen most popular?
The single biggest year for Balen was 2015, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Balen is about 14 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 Balen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Balen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Balen in the SSA data are male. 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 Balen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Balen 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 Balen 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 are called Balen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.