Telena
A feminine name of unknown origin, potentially meaning "bright" or "radiant".
Name Census estimates that about 277 living Americans carry the first name Telena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Telena today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Telena births was 1969 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Telena. 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
277
~ 1 in 1,237,380 Americans
Peak year
1969
14 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2008 SSA rank
#17,310
Tracked since 1960
Popularity
Telena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Telena from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 91 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Telena 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 Telena 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 Telena
The name Telena is believed to have originated in ancient Greece, derived from the Greek word "telene," which means "moon" or "lunar." It was a name frequently used during the Hellenistic period, which spanned from the 4th century BCE to the 1st century BCE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Telena can be found in the writings of the Greek historian Plutarch, who lived from around 46 CE to 120 CE. Plutarch mentioned a woman named Telena in his work "Parallel Lives," though he provided few details about her life.
During the Byzantine Empire, which ruled over parts of the Mediterranean from the 4th to the 15th centuries, the name Telena gained popularity among the Greek population. It was often associated with the goddess Selene, the personification of the moon in Greek mythology.
In the 12th century, a prominent figure named Telena of Constantinople was recorded as being a noblewoman and patron of the arts. She is credited with commissioning several notable works of literature and art during her lifetime.
Another notable Telena in history was Telena of Trebizond, who lived in the late 14th century. She was a princess of the Empire of Trebizond, a successor state of the Byzantine Empire located in modern-day Turkey.
In the 16th century, a woman named Telena Anguissola was a notable Italian painter and a member of the renowned Anguissola family of artists. She was born in 1554 and is known for her portraits and religious works.
During the Renaissance period, the name Telena also appeared in various literary works, including plays and poems. It was often used as a character name, reflecting the enduring influence of Greek mythology and culture.
While the name Telena has its roots in ancient Greece, it has been adopted and used in various cultures throughout history, with each culture adding its own unique interpretation and significance to the name.
People
Telena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Telena as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Telena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Telena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 277 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Telena 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 1,237,380 US residents.
Is Telena a common name?
We classify Telena as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 304 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Telena most popular?
The single biggest year for Telena was 1969, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Telena is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Telena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Telena 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.