Eileena
A feminine name of Celtic origin meaning "bright, shining one".
Name Census estimates that about 40 living Americans carry the first name Eileena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Eileena today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eileena births was 1999 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eileena. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Eileena. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
40
~ 1 in 8,568,858 Americans
Peak year
1999
7 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2020 SSA rank
#15,768
Tracked since 1982
Census
Eileena in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 129 people with the first name Eileena, which placed it at #48,862 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#48,862
National first-name rank
People counted
129
129 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
41.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eileena
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Eileena is White at 41.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (12.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Eileena described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Eileena at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White41.1% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino21.7% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.4% · 16
- Black or African American11.6% · 15
- Two or more races11.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 2
Popularity
Eileena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Eileena from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 13 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Eileena remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Eileena 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 Eileena 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 Eileena
The name Eileena is believed to have its origins in the ancient Celtic languages spoken in parts of Europe, particularly in the British Isles and parts of modern-day France. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "eilidh," which means "light" or "bright."
While the exact time period when the name first came into use is difficult to pinpoint, it is likely that it has been in circulation for several centuries. Some historians suggest that the name may have been used as early as the Middle Ages, when Celtic culture and language thrived in certain regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Eileena can be found in the annals of the Scottish Highlands, where it was sometimes used as a variant spelling of the more common name Eileen. In these historical records, the name is often associated with individuals of Celtic descent, reflecting its roots in the region's cultural heritage.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Eileena. One of the earliest recorded instances is Eileena of Argyll, a Scottish noblewoman born in the 15th century, who played a significant role in the political affairs of her time. Another notable figure is Eileena MacLeod (1590-1648), a renowned Scottish poet and storyteller whose works celebrated the rich traditions of the Highland clans.
In the realm of literature, the name Eileena has also made its mark. Eileena Mackenzie (1788-1873) was a Scottish author and poet who wrote extensively about the landscapes and cultures of the Highlands, capturing the essence of her homeland in her works.
Moving to more modern times, Eileena Desbordes (1918-1997) was a French actress and singer who gained popularity in the mid-20th century for her performances on stage and in films. She is remembered for her talent and her contributions to the French entertainment industry.
Another notable figure is Eileena Rocard (1921-2017), a French politician and activist who served as a member of the European Parliament and championed various social and environmental causes throughout her career.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Eileena throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural heritage associated with this name.
People
Eileena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eileena as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Eileena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eileena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 40 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eileena 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 8,568,858 US residents.
Is Eileena a common name?
We classify Eileena as "Very Rare". It ranks above 51% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 41 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eileena most popular?
The single biggest year for Eileena was 1999, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eileena is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Eileena in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 129 people with the name Eileena, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #48,862 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Eileena in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Eileena?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Eileena appears almost entirely female. Of the 125 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Eileena?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Eileena is White at 41.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (12.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Eileena most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Eileena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.1% (53 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Eileena in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Eileena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eileena 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.
Is Eileena still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Eileena 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 Eileena 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.
How many people are named Eileena?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Eileena at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.