Selene
Feminine name of Greek origin meaning "moon" or "moon goddess".
Name Census estimates that about 8,880 living Americans carry the first name Selene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Selene today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Selene births was 2022 (425 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Selene. 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
8.9K
~ 1 in 38,598 Americans
Peak year
2022
425 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
1991 SSA rank
#675
Tracked since 1919
Gender
Gender distribution for Selene
Out of the 9,245 babies given the name Selene since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Selene as a male name
- Ranked #9,383 in 1991
- 5 male births in 1991
- Peak: 1991 (5 births)
Selene as a female name
- Ranked #675 in 2024
- 424 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (425 births)
Popularity
Selene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Selene from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 2,347 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Selene 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 Selene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Selenes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 32 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Selene, while South Carolina, Kansas, Iowa recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 209 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Selene
The name Selene has its origins in Greek mythology, deriving from the ancient Greek word 'selene' meaning 'moon'. It was the name of the Greek moon goddess, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and sister of the sun god Helios. The name was commonly used in ancient Greek society, with records of its use dating back to the 5th century BCE.
In ancient texts, Selene was often depicted as a beautiful woman riding a chariot pulled by two white horses or oxen. She was associated with the cycles of the moon and was believed to influence things such as fertility, menstrual cycles, and the tides. The name Selene has been found inscribed on ancient Greek pottery, coins, and other artifacts from the period.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Selene was a Greek princess from the island of Corfu, who lived in the 3rd century BCE. Another notable Selene was a Seleucid queen who ruled in the 2nd century BCE and was known for her strategic alliances and political influence.
In the Middle Ages, the name Selene was less common, but it did appear in some medieval literature and records. A notable example is Selene of Caria, a 14th-century Byzantine noblewoman and author who wrote on religious topics.
During the Renaissance period, the name Selene experienced a resurgence in popularity due to the renewed interest in classical Greek and Roman culture. One famous bearer of the name was Selene Gallio (1508-1567), an Italian poet and writer who was part of the literary circle of the Venetian court.
In more recent history, there have been several notable individuals named Selene, including Selene Viéville (1891-1975), a French pianist and composer, and Selene Vigil-Wilk (born 1979), an American politician and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.
People
Selene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Selene as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Selene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Selene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8,880 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Selene 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 38,598 US residents.
Is Selene a common name?
We classify Selene as "Rare". It ranks above 97.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9,245 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Selene most popular?
The single biggest year for Selene was 2022, when 425 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Selene is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Selene a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Selene 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.