Drena
A feminine name of Albanian origin meaning "small river".
Name Census estimates that about 442 living Americans carry the first name Drena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Drena today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Drena births was 1945 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Drena. 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
442
~ 1 in 775,462 Americans
Peak year
1945
37 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
2004 SSA rank
#16,863
Tracked since 1938
Popularity
Drena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Drena from the 1930s through to the 2000s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 157 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Drena 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 Drena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Drenas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Illinois, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Drena, while Pennsylvania, Illinois, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Drena
The name Drena is believed to have originated from the ancient Etruscan language, which was spoken in what is now modern-day Italy. The Etruscans were a highly advanced civilization that flourished in the region between the 8th and 3rd centuries BC.
One theory suggests that Drena is derived from the Etruscan word "drene," which meant "to flow" or "to stream." This could indicate that the name was associated with water sources, rivers, or perhaps even a person's character or temperament flowing like a stream.
Another possible origin is the Etruscan name "Drenis," which was a variation of the name Dren or Drina. This name was documented in several ancient inscriptions and artifacts found in Etruscan archaeological sites.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Drena dates back to the 5th century BC, when it was found inscribed on a funerary urn discovered in the ancient Etruscan city of Cerveteri, near modern-day Rome.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Drena. One of the earliest was Drena Terentia, a Roman noblewoman who lived in the 1st century BC and was married to the famous Roman statesman and orator, Cicero.
In the 12th century, Drena of Avalon was a renowned herbalist and healer who lived in the mystical Isle of Avalon, according to medieval English folklore. She was said to have possessed vast knowledge of medicinal plants and healing arts.
During the Renaissance period, Drena Verdini (1459-1523) was an Italian painter and illuminator from Florence, known for her intricate and beautiful illuminated manuscripts commissioned by wealthy patrons of the time.
In the 19th century, Drena Milosevic (1832-1904) was a Serbian poet and writer who contributed significantly to the literary and cultural movements of her time, advocating for women's rights and social reforms.
More recently, Drena Kemp (1926-2018) was a British actress and singer who appeared in several films and television shows throughout the mid-20th century, notably in the popular series "The Avengers" in the 1960s.
People
Drena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Drena as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Drena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Drena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 442 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Drena 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 775,462 US residents.
Is Drena a common name?
We classify Drena as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 618 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Drena most popular?
The single biggest year for Drena was 1945, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Drena is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Drena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Drena 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.