Jolena
A feminine name of uncertain etymology, potentially derived from the names Jolie or Lena.
Name Census estimates that about 1,088 living Americans carry the first name Jolena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jolena today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jolena births was 1982 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jolena. 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 315,032 Americans
Peak year
1982
34 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,185
Tracked since 1949
Census
Jolena in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 966 people with the first name Jolena, which placed it at #12,759 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#12,759
National first-name rank
People counted
966
966 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
57.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jolena
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jolena is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.6%) and Black (10.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Jolena described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Jolena at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.6% · 556
- Hispanic or Latino12.6% · 122
- Black or African American10.6% · 102
- Two or more races7.0% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.8% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.4% · 52
Popularity
Jolena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jolena from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 235 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
Jolena 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 Jolena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jolenas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Jolena
The name Jolena is a unique variation of the more common name Jolene, which has its roots in the Hebrew language and culture. The Hebrew name Yolana, meaning "violet" or "purple," is believed to be the original source from which the name Jolena is derived.
In ancient times, the name Yolana was associated with royalty and nobility due to the rarity and value placed on the color purple. It is mentioned in some ancient Hebrew texts and scrolls, though its usage was relatively limited compared to more popular names of the era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jolena can be traced back to the 12th century in parts of Europe, where it was likely adopted and adapted from the Hebrew Yolana. During this time, the name was particularly popular among Jewish communities in Spain and France.
Throughout the centuries, the name Jolena has been borne by several notable historical figures. One of the most famous was Jolena of Aragon (1384-1442), a Spanish noblewoman and patron of the arts who played a significant role in the cultural renaissance of her time.
In the 16th century, Jolena Gonzaga (1510-1566), an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts, was known for her influential role in the courts of the Italian Renaissance. Her support of artists and scholars helped shape the artistic and intellectual landscape of the era.
Another notable Jolena was Jolena von Schönborn (1675-1749), a German countess and philanthropist who established several schools and hospitals in her region, leaving a lasting impact on education and healthcare.
In the realm of literature, Jolena Pardo Bazán (1851-1921) was a celebrated Spanish novelist and essayist who championed women's rights and explored social issues through her writing. Her works are considered significant contributions to the Realist and Naturalist literary movements.
One of the more recent historical figures with the name Jolena was Jolena Rubio (1920-2008), a Mexican actress and singer who gained fame in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Her performances in numerous films and theatrical productions made her a beloved figure in Latin American entertainment.
People
Jolena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jolena 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
Jolena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jolena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,088 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jolena 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 315,032 US residents.
Is Jolena a common name?
We classify Jolena 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, 1,155 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jolena most popular?
The single biggest year for Jolena was 1982, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jolena is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jolena in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 966 people with the name Jolena, or 0.32 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,759 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Jolena in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Jolena?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jolena appears almost entirely female. Of the 959 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Jolena?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jolena is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.6%) and Black (10.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Jolena most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Jolena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.6% (556 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Jolena in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jolena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jolena 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 Jolena still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jolena 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 Jolena 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.
How many people have the name Jolena?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Jolena on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.