Shailene
An American Native name meaning "Peaceful one" or "She who leans over thinker".
Name Census estimates that about 253 living Americans carry the first name Shailene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shailene today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shailene births was 2014 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shailene. 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 Shailene with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
253
~ 1 in 1,354,760 Americans
Peak year
2014
29 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,957
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Shailene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shailene from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 161 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Shailene remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shailene 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 Shailene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shailenes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shailene
The given name Shailene has its origins in the Sanskrit language of ancient India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "shailaja," which means "born in the mountains" or "daughter of the mountains." The name is a combination of two Sanskrit words: "shaila" meaning "mountain" and "ja" meaning "born."
In Hindu mythology, it is believed that the name Shailene has a connection to the goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva. Parvati is often depicted as the daughter of the Himalayas, and her name is derived from the Sanskrit word "parvata," meaning "mountain."
The earliest recorded use of the name Shailene dates back to ancient Sanskrit texts and Hindu scriptures, where it was used as a name for various characters and deities associated with the mountains or nature.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Shailene was Shailene Devi, a 7th-century Indian princess and poet from the Chola dynasty in present-day Tamil Nadu, India. She was renowned for her poetic works and her patronage of the arts.
Another notable person with the name Shailene was Shailene Kumari, a 12th-century Hindu mystic and saint from the region of present-day Rajasthan, India. She is revered for her spiritual teachings and her devotion to the goddess Parvati.
In the 16th century, Shailene Bai was a prominent courtesan and poet in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. She was known for her beauty, intelligence, and her literary works in both Persian and Sanskrit languages.
Shailene Devi was a 19th-century Indian freedom fighter and social reformer from the state of Uttar Pradesh. She played a significant role in the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule and advocated for women's education and empowerment.
In more recent history, Shailene Woodley, born in 1991, is an American actress and activist known for her roles in films such as "The Fault in Our Stars" and "Divergent" series. She has gained recognition for her environmental activism and her advocacy for indigenous rights.
People
Shailene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shailene 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
Shailene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shailene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 253 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shailene 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 1,354,760 US residents.
Is Shailene a common name?
We classify Shailene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 256 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shailene most popular?
The single biggest year for Shailene was 2014, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shailene is about 13 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 Shailene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shailene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shailene 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 Shailene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shailene 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 Shailene 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 have Shailene as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Shailene on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.