Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1986

Jena

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #5,474 Trend ↓ Falling 38%

Jena is a female given name of Arabic origin, meaning small bird.

Rank 2025
#5,474
among girls · ↑1,305 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
23
named Jena
How common
1 in 69,881
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1986
619 babies
All-time total
13,248
#1,401 all-time among girls
First recorded
1900
in Social Security records

Jena popularity over time

13,248 babies have been named Jena since 1900, 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
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s 5 – 5 1 – #2,067
1910s 6 – 6 1 +20% #4,330
1920s 39 – 39 4 +550% #3,495
1930s 31 – 31 3 -21% #2,992
1940s 96 – 96 10 +210% #1,839
1950s 378 – 378 38 +294% #1,390
1960s 1,069 – 1,069 107 +183% #892
1970s 1,753 – 1,753 175 +64% #688
1980s 4,075 7 4,082 408 +133% #371
1990s 3,301 – 3,301 330 -19% #547
2000s 1,772 – 1,772 177 -46% #901
2010s 563 – 563 56 -68% #1,932
2020s (to 2025) 153 – 153 26 -55% #4,133

Where Jena 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 21 0.01 outside top 500
2027 20 0.01 outside top 500
2028 19 0.01 outside top 500
2029 18 0.01 outside top 500
2030 17 0.01 outside top 500

The story of Jena

Jena is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #5,474 in 2025 with 23 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1900, 13,248 American babies have been named Jena. Its peak came in 1986, when 619 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

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 Jena stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Jena?

The median living Jena is about 37 years old; half are between 28 and 45. An estimated 13 thousand people named Jena are alive in the United States today.

median 37 020406080100

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

Jena year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 23 #5,474 – –
2024 17 #6,779 – –
2023 24 #5,310 – –
2022 25 #5,232 – –
2021 35 #4,133 – –
2020 29 #4,601 – –
2019 37 #3,961 – –
2018 39 #3,813 – –
2017 40 #3,807 – –
2016 35 #4,196 – –
2015 55 #3,072 – –
2014 53 #3,123 – –
2013 52 #3,143 – –
2012 81 #2,324 – –
2011 67 #2,648 – –
2010 104 #1,932 – –
2009 104 #1,996 – –
2008 115 #1,857 – –
2007 114 #1,852 – –
2006 163 #1,393 – –
2005 173 #1,294 – –
2004 211 #1,089 – –
2003 195 #1,128 – –
2002 228 #972 – –
2001 252 #901 – –
2000 217 #977 – –
1995 299 #702 – –
1990 417 #563 – –
1985 614 #371 – –
1980 205 #796 – –
1975 210 #708 – –
1970 140 #923 – –
1965 110 #990 – –
1960 69 #1,334 – –
1955 41 #1,607 – –
1950 19 #2,290 – –
1945 6 #4,251 – –
1940 6 #4,078 – –
1935 – – – –
1930 5 #4,876 – –
1925 – – – –
1920 6 #4,647 – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 5 #2,067 – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Jena

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

  1. 1 Jena Malone Jena Malone American actress (born 1984) Contemporary
  2. 2 Jena Lee Musical artist b. 1987 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Jena?

The median living Jena is about 37 years old. Half of all living Jenas are between 28 and 45 years old.

How many people named Jena are alive today?

An estimated 13 thousand people named Jena are alive in the United States, based on 13,248 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Jena mean?

Jena is a female given name of Arabic origin, meaning small bird.

How popular is the name Jena in 2025?

Jena ranked #5,474 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 23 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Jena?

13,248 babies have been named Jena in the United States since 1900, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Jena most popular?

Jena peaked in 1986, when 619 newborns received the name.

Is Jena a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Jena rising or falling?

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

Will Jena become more popular?

Jena is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 17 girls named Jena 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 Jena?

Well-known people named Jena include Jena Malone (actor), Jena Lee (singer).

Names like Jena

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

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