Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2017

Jelena

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #5,030 Trend ↓ Falling 23%

Borrowed from Bulgarian, Macedonian, and Russian Еле́на (Jeléna) and Pannonian Rusyn Єлена (Jelena), from Latin Helena, from Ancient Greek Ἑλένη (Helénē).

Rank 2025
#5,030
among girls · ↓604 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
26
named Jelena · -19% vs 2024
How common
1 in 61,818
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2017
68 babies
All-time total
1,633
#5,396 all-time among girls
First recorded
1959
in Social Security records

Jelena popularity over time

1,633 babies have been named Jelena since 1959, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.010.030.040.0518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2017Girls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s 5 1 – #6,648
1960s 26 3 +420% #6,093
1970s 102 10 +292% #4,123
1980s 114 11 +12% #3,783
1990s 216 22 +89% #3,963
2000s 432 43 +100% #3,036
2010s 537 54 +24% #2,583
2020s (to 2025) 201 34 -38% #3,808

Where Jelena is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 25 0.02 outside top 500
2027 24 0.01 outside top 500
2028 23 0.01 outside top 500
2029 22 0.01 outside top 500
2030 22 0.01 outside top 500

The story of Jelena

Jelena is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #5,030 in 2025 with 26 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1959, 1,633 American babies have been named Jelena. Its peak came in 2017, when 68 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Jelena stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Jelena?

The median living Jelena is about 17 years old; half are between 9 and 27. An estimated 1,600 people named Jelena are alive in the United States today.

median 17 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Jelena year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 26 #5,030
2024 32 #4,426
2023 39 #3,870
2022 37 #4,000
2021 29 #4,674
2020 38 #3,808
2019 39 #3,820
2018 52 #3,134
2017 68 #2,583
2016 58 #2,921
2015 49 #3,320
2014 58 #2,948
2013 47 #3,382
2012 51 #3,239
2011 58 #2,967
2010 57 #2,994
2009 46 #3,536
2008 57 #3,036
2007 51 #3,304
2006 49 #3,335
2005 44 #3,432
2004 48 #3,196
2003 45 #3,260
2002 40 #3,425
2001 21 #5,444
2000 31 #4,020
1995 24 #4,269
1990 18 #5,150
1985 6 #9,804
1980 13 #5,350
1975 7 #7,475
1970 10 #5,199
1965 6 #6,093
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Jelena

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Jelena Dokic Jelena Dokic Australian tennis player (born 1983) Contemporary
  2. 2 Jelena Janković Jelena Janković Serbian former tennis player (born 1985) Contemporary
  3. 3 Jelena Karleuša Jelena Karleuša Serbian singer and media personality (born 1978) Contemporary
  4. 4 Jelena Rozga Jelena Rozga Croatian singer (born 1977) Contemporary
  5. 5 Jelena Jensen Pornographic actor, United States b. 1981 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Jelena Tomašević Jelena Tomašević Serbian pop singer b. 1983 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Jelena Kostanić Tošić Jelena Kostanić Tošić Croatian tennis player (born 1981) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Jelena, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Jelena?

The median living Jelena is about 17 years old. Half of all living Jelenas are between 9 and 27 years old.

How many people named Jelena are alive today?

An estimated 1,600 people named Jelena are alive in the United States, based on 1,633 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Jelena mean?

Borrowed from Bulgarian, Macedonian, and Russian Еле́на (Jeléna) and Pannonian Rusyn Єлена (Jelena), from Latin Helena, from Ancient Greek Ἑλένη (Helénē).

How popular is the name Jelena in 2025?

Jelena ranked #5,030 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 26 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Jelena?

1,633 babies have been named Jelena in the United States since 1959, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Jelena most popular?

Jelena peaked in 2017, when 68 newborns received the name.

Is Jelena a boy or girl name?

Jelena is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Jelena rising or falling?

Jelena is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Jelena become more popular?

Jelena is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 22 girls named Jelena in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Jelena?

Well-known people named Jelena include Jelena Dokic (tennis player), Jelena Janković (tennis player), Jelena Karleuša (singer).

Names like Jelena

Names that sound and feel close to Jelena: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Jelena with similar names → More names starting with J →