Find out how popular the first name Selena has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Selena by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Selena is more commonly used as a female name, with approximately 100% of people named Selena being female.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 1,304 female babies and 0 male babies born with the name Selena.

The history of the first name Selena

The name Selena is a Greek name that originated from the word "selene," which means "moon" in ancient Greek. It was derived from the Greek goddess of the moon, Selene, who was a Titan in Greek mythology. The name Selena was popular in ancient Greece and was often associated with beauty, grace, and serenity.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Selena was in the 3rd century BC, when a Greek poet named Callimachus wrote a poem about the goddess Selene. The name was also mentioned in various Greek texts and inscriptions from the ancient world.

In the Middle Ages, the name Selena was used by Christians as a variant of the name Selene, and it was often given to girls born during a full moon or on the night of a lunar eclipse. The name was particularly popular in Eastern Europe, where it was spelled as "Selena" or "Selina."

One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Selena was Selene I, a queen of the ancient Greek city-state of Sicyon in the 3rd century BC. Another notable figure was Selene II, a queen of the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BC.

During the Renaissance period, the name Selena became popular in Italy, where it was often spelled as "Selena" or "Selina." One of the most famous individuals with this name was Selena Garresio, an Italian painter and engraver who lived in the 16th century.

In the 19th century, the name Selena gained popularity in Latin America, particularly in Mexico. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, a Mexican-American singer, songwriter, and fashion designer who was known as the "Queen of Tejano music." She was born in 1971 and tragically died in 1995 at the age of 23.

Other notable individuals with the name Selena include Selena Gomez, an American singer and actress born in 1992; Selena Quintanilla-Perez, a Mexican-American singer and songwriter born in 1971; Selena Royle, an American actress born in 1904 and died in 1983; and Selena Zott, an American actress born in 1996.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Selena was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Selena, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!