Mylene
A feminine name of French origin meaning "smooth and gentle".
Name Census estimates that about 796 living Americans carry the first name Mylene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mylene today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mylene births was 2017 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mylene. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Mylene with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
796
~ 1 in 430,596 Americans
Peak year
2017
38 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,303
Tracked since 1950
Census
Mylene in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,063 people with the first name Mylene, which placed it at #7,411 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
#7,411
National first-name rank
People counted
2.1K
2,063 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
56.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mylene
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mylene is Asian/Pacific Islander at 56.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.0%) and White (15.0%). 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 Mylene 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 Mylene at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander56.1% · 1,158
- Hispanic or Latino21.0% · 433
- White15.0% · 310
- Black or African American4.5% · 93
- Two or more races2.9% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Popularity
Mylene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mylene from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 177 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mylene remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mylene 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 Mylene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mylenes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Mylene
The name Mylene is derived from the Greek word "Melos," meaning "song" or "melody." Its origins can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it was likely used as a name to symbolize the beauty and harmony of music.
In Greek mythology, there are references to the Muses, the nine goddesses who presided over the arts and sciences, including music. It is possible that the name Mylene was inspired by these deities, as it echoes the idea of a melodious and artistic spirit.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Mylene appear in historical documents from the Byzantine Empire, which spanned from the 4th to the 15th centuries AD. During this period, the name was likely used among Greek-speaking communities within the empire.
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Mylene was Mylene Farmer, a French singer, songwriter, and actress born in 1961. She is considered one of the most successful and influential female artists in France, known for her avant-garde music and performances.
Another famous Mylene was Mylene Demongeot, a French actress born in 1935. She rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, appearing in numerous films and television shows, particularly in comedic roles.
In the literary world, Mylene Fernández-Pintado is a Cuban-American author and poet born in 1964. She has published several collections of poetry and has received numerous awards for her work, including the Pushcart Prize.
Mylene Dinh-Robic is a French-Vietnamese filmmaker and artist born in 1976. Her work often explores themes of identity, cultural heritage, and the experiences of immigrant communities.
Mylene Campana is a French fashion designer and entrepreneur born in 1971. She founded the clothing brand Maje and has been recognized for her influence in the fashion industry.
While the name Mylene is not as common as some other names, it has a rich history and has been borne by notable figures across various fields, from music and film to literature and fashion. Its melodic sound and connection to the arts and creativity continue to make it a unique and captivating choice.
People
Mylene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mylene as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mylene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mylene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 796 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mylene 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 430,596 US residents.
Is Mylene a common name?
We classify Mylene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 852 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mylene most popular?
The single biggest year for Mylene was 2017, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mylene is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mylene in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,063 people with the name Mylene, or 0.68 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,411 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 Mylene 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 Mylene?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mylene appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,061 people counted with this name, 99.9% 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 Mylene?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mylene is Asian/Pacific Islander at 56.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.0%) and White (15.0%). 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 Mylene most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Mylene in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.1% (1,158 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 Mylene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mylene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mylene 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 Mylene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mylene 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 Mylene 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 Americans are named Mylene?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.