Jalena
A feminine name derived from the Russian name Yelena, meaning "bright one" or "shining light".
Name Census estimates that about 1,072 living Americans carry the first name Jalena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jalena today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jalena births was 2007 (54 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jalena. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 319,734 Americans
Peak year
2007
54 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,810
Tracked since 1966
Popularity
Jalena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jalena from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 400 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jalena 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 Jalena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jalenas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Florida, California, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Jalena, while Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 23 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jalena
The name Jalena is a feminine given name with roots in various cultures and languages. Its origins can be traced back to the Sanskrit word "jala," meaning "water," and the Greek word "Helena," derived from the word "helene," meaning "bright" or "shining one."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jalena can be found in ancient Greek mythology, where it was associated with the character of Helen of Troy, whose abduction by Paris sparked the Trojan War. In Hindu mythology, the name Jalena is believed to be linked to the goddess Jal Lakshmi, who is associated with water, fertility, and abundance.
During the medieval period, the name Jalena was popular among various European cultures, particularly in regions with strong Greek or Roman influences. It was often given to children born near bodies of water or during rainy seasons, reflecting the name's connection to water.
In the 14th century, a notable bearer of the name Jalena was Jalena of Valois, a French noblewoman and the daughter of King Charles VII of France. She was known for her beauty and her involvement in the political affairs of her time.
Another prominent figure with the name Jalena was Jalena Grimaldi, a 16th-century Italian noblewoman and the wife of Prince Honoré II of Monaco. She played a significant role in the cultural and artistic development of the Principality of Monaco during the Renaissance period.
In the 19th century, Jalena Patti was an Italian opera singer and one of the most celebrated sopranos of her time. She was known for her exceptional vocal range and her performances in operas by composers such as Verdi and Donizetti.
Jalena Ivanovna, a Russian novelist and playwright born in 1866, was another notable bearer of the name. Her works explored themes of love, societal norms, and the struggles of women in late 19th-century Russia.
In more recent times, Jalena Griffith, an American basketball player born in 1980, made a name for herself as a successful athlete and member of the WNBA.
People
Jalena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jalena as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jalena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jalena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,072 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jalena 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 319,734 US residents.
Is Jalena a common name?
We classify Jalena as "Rare". It ranks above 90.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,097 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jalena most popular?
The single biggest year for Jalena was 2007, when 54 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jalena is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jalena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jalena 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.