Sharlena
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly a combination of Sharon and Helena.
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the first name Sharlena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sharlena today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sharlena births was 1974 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sharlena. 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
131
~ 1 in 2,616,445 Americans
Peak year
1974
13 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1995 SSA rank
#13,113
Tracked since 1959
Census
Sharlena in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 207 people with the first name Sharlena, which placed it at #37,585 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
#37,585
National first-name rank
People counted
207
207 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
43.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sharlena
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sharlena is Black at 43.0%. The next largest groups are White (39.6%) and Hispanic (5.8%). 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 Sharlena 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 Sharlena at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American43.0% · 89
- White39.6% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 12
- Two or more races4.3% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.9% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 7
Popularity
Sharlena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sharlena from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 59 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Sharlena remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sharlena 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 Sharlena 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 Sharlena
The name Sharlena has its origins in the French language, derived from a combination of the Germanic name "Shar" and the Latin name "Lena". The first part, "Shar", is believed to have originated from the Old High German word "scar", meaning "bright" or "shining". The second part, "Lena", comes from the Latin name "Lena", which itself is a shortened form of names like "Helena" or "Magdalena".
In terms of historical references, the earliest recorded instance of the name Sharlena can be traced back to the 16th century in France. It was particularly popular among the French nobility and upper classes during this time period. However, there are no known mentions of the name in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or major historical records from earlier eras.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Sharlena was Sharlena de Montfort, a French noblewoman who lived in the late 16th century. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her support of local artists and writers during the Renaissance period in France.
Another historical figure with this name was Sharlena Dubois, a French botanist and naturalist who lived in the 18th century. She made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the Caribbean region and was one of the first women to be elected to the French Academy of Sciences in 1786.
In the 19th century, Sharlena Delacroix was a prominent French artist and painter who was known for her vibrant and expressive works. She was part of the Romantic movement in art and her paintings often depicted scenes from French history and mythology.
Sharlena Beaumont was a French author and poet who lived in the early 20th century. She was a member of the Symbolist movement and her works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition. Her most famous work was a collection of poems titled "Lune d'Argent" (Silver Moon), published in 1912.
Lastly, Sharlena Duval was a French actress and performer who gained popularity in the mid-20th century. She appeared in numerous films and stage productions during the 1950s and 1960s, and was known for her versatility and captivating performances.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Sharlena, showcasing its rich cultural heritage and enduring presence across various fields and time periods.
People
Sharlena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sharlena 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
Sharlena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sharlena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 131 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sharlena 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 2,616,445 US residents.
Is Sharlena a common name?
We classify Sharlena as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 143 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sharlena most popular?
The single biggest year for Sharlena was 1974, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sharlena is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sharlena in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 207 people with the name Sharlena, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #37,585 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 Sharlena 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 Sharlena?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sharlena appears almost entirely female. Of the 201 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Sharlena?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sharlena is Black at 43.0%. The next largest groups are White (39.6%) and Hispanic (5.8%). 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 Sharlena most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Sharlena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.0% (89 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 Sharlena in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sharlena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sharlena 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 Sharlena still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sharlena 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 Sharlena 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 people have Sharlena as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.