Halina
Of Polish origin, meaning "bright, cheerful, or brilliant".
Name Census estimates that about 882 living Americans carry the first name Halina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Halina today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Halina births was 2006 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Halina. 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
882
~ 1 in 388,610 Americans
Peak year
2006
31 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,922
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Halina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Halina from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 228 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Halina remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Halina 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 Halina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Halinas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, New York, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Halina, while Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Halina
The name Halina is of Slavic origin, derived from the Greek name Helena, which itself is derived from the Greek word "helene," meaning "bright" or "shining light." The name Halina has been popular in various Slavic cultures, particularly in Poland, Russia, and Ukraine, since ancient times.
In its earliest forms, the name was spelled as "Galina" or "Halyna" in different Slavic languages. It is believed that the name made its way into these cultures through the influence of the Byzantine Empire and the spread of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Halina can be found in the Radziwiłł Chronicle, a 15th-century historical manuscript from Poland. The chronicle mentions a Polish noblewoman named Halina, who lived in the late 14th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Halina. One of the most prominent is Halina Konopacka (1900-1989), a Polish artist and sculptor known for her monumental sculptures and public artworks. Another notable Halina is Halina Krzemienska (1912-1999), a Polish actress who appeared in numerous films during the mid-20th century.
In the literary world, Halina Poświatowska (1935-1967) was a celebrated Polish poet whose works explored themes of love, loneliness, and existential angst. Her poetry collections, such as "Hymn miłości" (Hymn to Love) and "Dziewiąte przybliżenie" (The Ninth Approximation), gained her recognition as one of the most influential Polish poets of the 20th century.
Halina Wawelska (1942-2020) was a Polish operatic soprano who had a successful international career, performing in major opera houses around the world. She was particularly renowned for her interpretations of the works of Puccini and Verdi.
In the field of science, Halina Krzywicz-Rynkiewicz (1903-1970) was a Polish physicist and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of nuclear physics and radioactivity. She was one of the first women in Poland to obtain a doctoral degree in physics.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the name Halina throughout history, showcasing the name's enduring presence and significance across various cultural and professional spheres.
People
Halina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Halina 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
Halina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Halina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 882 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Halina 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 388,610 US residents.
Is Halina a common name?
We classify Halina as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,023 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Halina most popular?
The single biggest year for Halina was 2006, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Halina is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Halina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Halina 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.