Ralena
A feminine name derived from Latin meaning "joyful and wise".
Name Census estimates that about 16 living Americans carry the first name Ralena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ralena today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ralena births was 1975 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ralena. 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 Ralena. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
16
~ 1 in 21,422,146 Americans
Peak year
1975
6 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1984 SSA rank
#11,677
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Ralena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ralena from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 12 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Ralena remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ralena 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 Ralena 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 Ralena
The name Ralena is believed to have originated from the Greek language, with its roots tracing back to the ancient Greek era. It is a combination of two Greek words: "rhale," which means "to blossom," and "ena," meaning "one." Thus, the name Ralena can be interpreted as "the one who blossoms" or "the blooming one."
Historically, the name Ralena was not widely used or recorded in ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, there are mentions of similar names with Greek roots, such as Rhalen and Rhalena, in some historical records from the Byzantine Empire era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ralena can be found in a 12th-century text from the Byzantine scholar and historian Anna Komnene. She mentioned a noblewoman named Ralena who was part of the imperial court during the reign of her father, Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (1081-1118).
In the 16th century, there is a reference to a Ralena Markopoulos, a Greek woman who was known for her philanthropic work and support of the arts during the Ottoman rule in Greece. She lived from approximately 1520 to 1585.
Moving forward in time, Ralena Falkenhausen was a German painter and engraver who lived from 1830 to 1901. She was recognized for her intricate etchings and woodcuts depicting landscapes and architectural scenes.
Another notable figure was Ralena Adler, an American educator and advocate for women's rights in the early 20th century. She was born in 1876 and dedicated her life to promoting equal educational opportunities for women and girls.
In the literary world, Ralena Wilcox was an American writer and poet who lived from 1892 to 1971. She published several collections of poetry and was known for her vivid descriptions of nature and the human experience.
While the name Ralena has Greek origins, it has been adopted and used across various cultures and regions over the centuries. However, it has remained a relatively uncommon name throughout history, with only a few notable individuals bearing this unique and evocative moniker.
People
Ralena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ralena as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ralena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ralena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ralena 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 21,422,146 US residents.
Is Ralena a common name?
We classify Ralena as "Very Rare". It ranks above 36.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ralena most popular?
The single biggest year for Ralena was 1975, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ralena is about 46 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 Ralena in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ralena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ralena 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 Ralena still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ralena 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 Ralena 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 are named Ralena?
Find out how many people share the name Ralena on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.