Ilona
A feminine name derived from the Greek word for moonlight.
Name Census estimates that about 2,321 living Americans carry the first name Ilona. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ilona today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ilona births was 1946 (102 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ilona. 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
2.3K
~ 1 in 147,675 Americans
Peak year
1946
102 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,928
Tracked since 1909
Popularity
Ilona: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ilona from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 738 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
Ilona 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 Ilona during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ilonas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. New York, California, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Ilona, while Florida, Massachusetts, Washington recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 92 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ilona
The name Ilona has its roots in the Greek language, originating from the word "Helene," meaning "bright" or "shining one." It is considered a variant of the more widely known name Helen, which was popular in ancient Greece. The name Ilona gained popularity in Eastern European countries like Hungary, Poland, and Russia during the Middle Ages.
In Hungarian mythology, Ilona was the name of a beautiful princess who was said to possess magical powers. This legend likely contributed to the name's widespread use in the region. The earliest recorded instances of the name Ilona can be found in Hungarian historical records dating back to the 13th century.
One of the most famous bearers of the name Ilona was Ilona Zrínyi (1643-1703), a Hungarian noblewoman and the wife of Imre Thököly, a Hungarian prince who led an uprising against the Habsburgs. Ilona Zrínyi played a significant role in supporting her husband's military campaigns and became a symbol of resistance against foreign rule.
Another notable figure was Ilona Massey (1910-1988), a Hungarian-American actress and singer who appeared in numerous Hollywood films during the 1930s and 1940s. She was known for her beauty and her distinctive alto singing voice, and she starred alongside famous actors like Nelson Eddy and Errol Flynn.
In the realm of literature, Ilona Karmel (1905-1939) was a Polish-Jewish writer and poet who gained recognition for her works that explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition. Her poetry collections, such as "Wiersze" (Poems), were widely acclaimed and translated into several languages.
Ilona Staller (born 1951), better known by her stage name Cicciolina, was an Italian porn star and politician who gained international notoriety in the 1980s and 1990s. She was elected to the Italian parliament in 1987 and became known for her outspoken views on sexual liberation and her unconventional political career.
Finally, Ilona Massingberd-Mundy (1918-2010) was a British writer and journalist who penned numerous books on the history and culture of South Asia, particularly India and Nepal. Her works, such as "Kullu: Himalayan Jewel Valley" and "The Kullu Peasant," provided valuable insights into the lives and traditions of the region.
People
Ilona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ilona 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
Ilona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ilona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,321 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ilona 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 147,675 US residents.
Is Ilona a common name?
We classify Ilona as "Rare". It ranks above 94.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,293 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ilona most popular?
The single biggest year for Ilona was 1946, when 102 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ilona is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ilona a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ilona 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.