Halene
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "sun ray" or "bright light".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Halene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Halene today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Halene births was 1916 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Halene. 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 Halene. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1916
9 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2004 SSA rank
#17,050
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Halene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Halene from the 1910s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 16 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Halene remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Halene 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 Halene 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 Halene
The name Halene is believed to have its origins in ancient Greece, dating back to the 5th century BC. It is derived from the Greek word "halenos," which means "calm" or "serene." This name was particularly popular among the Athenians and was often given to children in the hope that they would embody these qualities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Halene can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. In his work "The Republic," he mentions a character named Halene, who is described as a wise and virtuous woman.
During the Hellenistic period, which began in the 4th century BC, the name Halene spread throughout the Mediterranean region as Greek culture and influence expanded. It was adopted by various civilizations, including the Romans, who Latinized the name to "Helena."
In the 4th century AD, the name gained significant religious significance with the discovery of the True Cross by Saint Helena, the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. Helena was a highly revered figure in Christianity, and her name became associated with piety and devotion.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Halene (and its variations, such as Helena and Helen) remained popular among European nobility and royalty. One notable figure was Halene of Anjou, who lived in the 13th century and was the wife of King Stephen V of Hungary.
During the Renaissance period, the name experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly in Italy. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Halene Lucrezia Cornaro, a Venetian noblewoman and the last Queen of Cyprus, who lived from 1446 to 1509.
In the 19th century, the name Halene gained popularity in Russia, where it was often associated with literary figures. One notable example was Halene Blavatskaya, the founder of the Theosophical Society, who lived from 1831 to 1891.
Other notable historical figures with the name Halene include Halene Keller (1880-1968), the American author, political activist, and lecturer who was the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor's degree; Halene Rubinstein (1872-1965), the Polish-American businesswoman and founder of the cosmetics company that bears her name; and Halene Bonham Carter (1966-), the acclaimed British actress known for her roles in films such as "The King's Speech" and the "Harry Potter" series.
People
Halene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Halene as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Halene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Halene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Halene 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Halene a common name?
We classify Halene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 38 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Halene most popular?
The single biggest year for Halene was 1916, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Halene is about 37 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 Halene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Halene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Halene 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 Halene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Halene 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 Halene 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 Americans are named Halene?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Halene at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.