Celene
A feminine name derived from the Greek name Selene, meaning "moon".
Name Census estimates that about 1,566 living Americans carry the first name Celene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Celene today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Celene births was 1993 (102 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Celene. 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
1.6K
~ 1 in 218,873 Americans
Peak year
1993
102 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,020
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Celene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Celene from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 608 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Celene 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 Celene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Celenes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Celene, while Florida, Arizona, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 111 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Celene
The name Celene has its origins in the Greek language, deriving from the word "selene," which means "moon." This celestial connection traces back to ancient Greek mythology, where Selene was the personification of the moon, often depicted as a beautiful woman with a crescent moon on her brow.
In Greek mythology, Selene was the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and she was considered the goddess of the moon. Her chariot, pulled by two winged horses, crossed the heavens each night, guiding the moon on its celestial journey. The name Celene, as a variant of Selene, carries this mythological heritage and the association with lunar symbols and deities.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Celene can be found in ancient Greek texts and records, although its use was relatively rare compared to the more common Selene. One notable historical figure bearing this name was Celene of Syracuse, a Greek woman who lived in the 4th century BCE and was renowned for her skill in developing a special type of combustible compound used in warfare.
Throughout history, the name Celene has appeared sporadically, often borne by individuals with connections to the arts, literature, or astronomy. For example, Celene Monsef was a 19th-century French painter known for her portraits and landscapes, while Celene Humphries was an English writer and poet active in the early 20th century.
Other notable individuals named Celene include Celene Navarrete, a Mexican actress born in 1986, who has appeared in various telenovelas and films. Additionally, Celene Bridge was a Canadian astronomer and astrophysicist born in 1944, who made significant contributions to the study of star formation and the interstellar medium.
In more recent times, the name Celene has gained popularity as a unique and aesthetically pleasing choice, often chosen by parents who appreciate its celestial connections and the rich mythological heritage associated with the Greek moon goddess Selene.
People
Celene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Celene as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Celene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Celene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,566 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Celene 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 218,873 US residents.
Is Celene a common name?
We classify Celene as "Rare". It ranks above 92.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,738 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Celene most popular?
The single biggest year for Celene was 1993, when 102 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Celene is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Celene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Celene 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.