Idena
An uncommon name of unknown origin, possibly relating to spiritual concepts.
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Idena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Idena today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Idena births was 1974 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Idena. 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 Idena. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1974
6 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
1974 SSA rank
#8,051
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Idena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Idena from the 1910s through to the 1970s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Idena 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 Idena 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 Idena
Idena is a given name with roots tracing back to ancient Greek origin, believed to have derived from the word "eidena," meaning "to know" or "to be informed." This name first emerged during the Classical period of ancient Greek civilization, around the 5th century BCE.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Idena can be found in the writings of the renowned Greek philosopher Plato, who lived from 428 BCE to 348 BCE. In his dialogues, Plato mentions a character named Idena, though little is known about the context or significance of this reference.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Idena was a Greek priestess and poet who lived during the 3rd century BCE on the island of Lesbos. Her works, unfortunately, have been lost to time, but she is mentioned by ancient scholars as a prominent figure in the literary circles of her era.
In the Middle Ages, the name Idena resurfaced in the Byzantine Empire, where it was sometimes used as a feminine form of the name Idenos, which itself was derived from the Greek word "idein," meaning "to see" or "to perceive." One notable bearer of this name from this period was Idena Kantakouzene, a Byzantine noblewoman and courtier who lived in the 14th century.
As the Byzantine Empire declined, the name Idena became less common, but it experienced a brief resurgence during the Renaissance period in Italy. One of the most famous bearers of this name from this era was Idena Sforza, an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts who lived in the 15th century and is renowned for her support of artists and scholars.
Moving forward in history, the name Idena appears sporadically in various European cultures, though it remained relatively rare. One notable figure was Idena von Bülow, a German writer and feminist who lived in the 19th century and advocated for women's rights and education.
While not as prevalent as some other names, Idena has left its mark across various cultures and time periods, with bearers ranging from ancient Greek philosophers and poets to Renaissance noblewomen and modern advocates for social change.
People
Idena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Idena as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Idena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Idena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Idena 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Idena a common name?
We classify Idena as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 16 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Idena most popular?
The single biggest year for Idena was 1974, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Idena is about 58 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 Idena in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Idena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Idena 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 Idena still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Idena 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 Idena 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 people have the name Idena?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Idena, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.