Blen
A feminine name meaning "beautiful" or "lovely" in Albanian.
Name Census estimates that about 271 living Americans carry the first name Blen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Blen today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Blen births was 2015 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Blen. 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
271
~ 1 in 1,264,776 Americans
Peak year
2015
27 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,243
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Blen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Blen 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 177 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
Blen 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 Blen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Blens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Blen
The given name Blen is believed to have originated from the ancient Sumerian language, which was spoken in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around 3500 BC to 2000 BC. The name is derived from the Sumerian word "blen," which means "to shine" or "to radiate." It is possible that the name was initially given to individuals who were perceived as having a bright or radiant personality.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Blen can be found in the Sumerian King List, an ancient manuscript that chronicles the rulers of various Sumerian city-states. The list mentions a king named Blen-Suen, who ruled over the city of Larsa in the 21st century BC. However, it is unclear whether this was a personal name or a title.
In ancient Sumerian mythology, there is a reference to a minor deity named Blen-Gal, who was associated with the protection of travelers and merchants. This deity was often invoked by those embarking on long journeys, seeking safe passage and prosperity in their ventures.
During the Neo-Babylonian period (626 BC to 539 BC), the name Blen appears to have gained popularity among the ruling class. One notable figure from this era was Blen-Apla-Iddina, a high-ranking official who served as the governor of the Babylonian province of Uruk around 550 BC.
In the field of ancient astronomy, there is a record of a Babylonian astrologer named Blen-Shar-Ibni, who lived during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II (604 BC to 562 BC). He is credited with making significant contributions to the study of celestial bodies and their movements.
The name Blen also appears in several ancient Sumerian and Akkadian cuneiform tablets, which were used for recordkeeping and literary purposes. One notable example is the Blen Tablet, a clay tablet dating back to around 2300 BC, which contains a list of personal names and their meanings.
Throughout history, there have been several individuals who bore the name Blen, although their fame or significance may have been limited to specific regions or time periods. Some notable examples include Blen-Kash, a renowned sculptor from the city of Ur during the Neo-Sumerian period (2112 BC to 2004 BC), and Blen-Shamash, a high priest of the god Shamash in the city of Sippar during the Old Babylonian period (1894 BC to 1595 BC).
People
Blen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Blen 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
Blen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Blen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 271 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Blen 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 1,264,776 US residents.
Is Blen a common name?
We classify Blen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 273 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Blen most popular?
The single biggest year for Blen was 2015, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Blen is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Blen a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Blen 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.