girls' name ★ peaked 1917

Lena

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #279 Trend → Stable

The female name is from the Scandinavian, German and Russian pet form of Helena, Magdalena and Yelena (also spelled Elena).

Rank 2025
#279
among girls · ↓17 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,106
named Lena · -9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,453
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1917
3,015 babies
All-time total
146,805
#274 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Lena popularity over time

146,805 babies have been named Lena since 1880, 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
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 8,691 8 8,699 870 – #41
1890s 12,491 20 12,511 1,251 +44% #42
1900s 12,703 24 12,727 1,273 +2% #51
1910s 23,624 69 23,693 2,369 +86% #66
1920s 22,844 87 22,931 2,293 -3% #98
1930s 10,539 71 10,610 1,061 -54% #144
1940s 7,367 31 7,398 740 -30% #216
1950s 5,732 5 5,737 574 -22% #309
1960s 5,193 – 5,193 519 -9% #391
1970s 4,680 11 4,691 469 -10% #412
1980s 4,583 – 4,583 458 -2% #424
1990s 4,484 – 4,484 448 -2% #501
2000s 6,097 – 6,097 610 +36% #416
2010s 10,516 – 10,516 1,052 +72% #267
2020s (to 2025) 6,935 – 6,935 1,156 +10% #254

Where Lena 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 1,113 0.69 #277
2027 1,120 0.70 #277
2028 1,125 0.70 #276
2029 1,130 0.70 #276
2030 1,134 0.71 #275

Where Lena is most popular

Girls named Lena per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.714 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, South Dakota, and New Hampshire.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Lena born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
District of Columbia 29 2.45 +243%
South Dakota 26 1.82 +155%
New Hampshire 33 1.79 +150%
Pennsylvania 412 1.74 +144%
Delaware 19 1.67 +135%
Michigan 292 1.60 +125%
Connecticut 92 1.58 +122%
Minnesota 166 1.54 +115%
Montana 20 1.48 +107%
North Dakota 19 1.45 +102%
Iowa 82 1.40 +97%
Maine 21 1.36 +90%
Massachusetts 157 1.30 +82%
Wisconsin 126 1.22 +71%
Kansas 69 1.20 +68%
Virginia 203 1.19 +67%
Wyoming 5 1.17 +64%
New Jersey 209 1.16 +62%
Ohio 269 1.13 +59%
Illinois 238 1.04 +46%
Vermont 5 1.03 +44%
Missouri 124 1.03 +44%
West Virginia 26 0.992 +39%
Indiana 139 0.990 +39%
New York 379 0.957 +34%
Maryland 99 0.934 +31%
Washington 125 0.865 +21%
Colorado 94 0.842 +18%
Kentucky 72 0.842 +18%
North Carolina 177 0.777 +9%
Alabama 71 0.756 +6%
Nebraska 27 0.751 +5%
Tennessee 116 0.732 ≈ national
Utah 60 0.721 ≈ national
Louisiana 63 0.720 ≈ national
Florida 290 0.678 -5%
Oregon 44 0.676 -5%
Oklahoma 49 0.666 -7%
South Carolina 58 0.645 -10%
Arizona 88 0.627 -12%
Georgia 142 0.625 -12%
Arkansas 31 0.587 -18%
Nevada 27 0.581 -19%
California 452 0.538 -25%
Mississippi 23 0.492 -31%
Texas 385 0.479 -33%
Hawaii 5 0.436 -39%
Idaho 12 0.359 -50%
New Mexico 5 0.206 -71%
Alaska – – –
Rhode Island – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Lena

Lena is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #279 in 2025 with 1,106 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 146,805 American babies have been named Lena. Its peak came in 1917, when 3,015 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

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

How old are people named Lena?

The median living Lena is about 34 years old; half are between 11 and 64. An estimated 54 thousand people named Lena are alive in the United States today.

median 34 020406080100

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

Lena 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 1,106 #279 – –
2024 1,218 #262 – –
2023 1,157 #270 – –
2022 1,220 #254 – –
2021 1,091 #294 – –
2020 1,143 #271 – –
2019 1,246 #267 – –
2018 1,102 #302 – –
2017 1,084 #303 – –
2016 1,144 #275 – –
2015 1,162 #273 – –
2014 1,168 #280 – –
2013 982 #331 – –
2012 885 #359 – –
2011 901 #360 – –
2010 842 #376 – –
2009 768 #416 – –
2008 728 #440 – –
2007 716 #448 – –
2006 644 #483 – –
2005 654 #466 – –
2004 555 #518 – –
2003 568 #504 – –
2002 514 #534 – –
2001 473 #555 – –
2000 477 #546 – –
1995 400 #574 – –
1990 453 #525 – –
1985 519 #424 – –
1980 499 #434 – –
1975 472 #425 6 #5,177
1970 507 #435 – –
1965 521 #407 – –
1960 520 #429 – –
1955 559 #372 – –
1950 634 #309 – –
1945 724 #251 – –
1940 797 #216 10 #2,416
1935 968 #183 6 #3,470
1930 1,489 #144 12 #2,379
1925 2,235 #124 10 #2,854
1920 2,785 #98 8 #3,372
1915 2,927 #77 6 #3,652
1910 1,431 #66 5 #1,741
1905 1,258 #61 – –
1900 1,506 #52 – –
1895 1,289 #50 – –
1890 1,137 #47 – –
1885 876 #44 – –
1880 603 #43 – –

Famous people named Lena

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

  1. 1 Lena Dunham Lena Dunham American writer and actress (born 1986) Contemporary
  2. 2 Lena Headey Lena Headey British actress (born 1973) Contemporary
  3. 3 Lena Waithe Lena Waithe American actress, producer and screenwriter (born 1984) Contemporary
  4. 4 Lena Horne Lena Horne American singer, actress, dancer and activist (1917–2010) Contemporary
  5. 5 Lena Olin Lena Olin Swedish actress (born 1955) Contemporary
  6. 6 Lena Philipsson Lena Philipsson Swedish singer, songwriter and media personality b. 1966 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Lena Meyer-Landrut Lena Meyer-Landrut German singer (born 1991) Contemporary
  8. 8 Lena Endre Lena Endre Swedish actress b. 1955 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Lena Gercke Lena Gercke German fashion model and television host b. 1988 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Lena Nyman Lena Nyman Swedish actress (1944–2011) Contemporary
  11. 11 Lena Park Lena Park American-born South Korean singer b. 1976 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Lena Rice Lena Rice Irish tennis player (1866–1907) 19th century
  13. 13 Lena Goeßling Lena Goeßling German footballer (born 1986) Contemporary
  14. 14 Lena Schöneborn Lena Schöneborn German modern pentathlete b. 1986 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Lena?

The median living Lena is about 34 years old. Half of all living Lenas are between 11 and 64 years old.

How many people named Lena are alive today?

An estimated 54 thousand people named Lena are alive in the United States, based on 146,805 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Lena mean?

The female name is from the Scandinavian, German and Russian pet form of Helena, Magdalena and Yelena (also spelled Elena).

How popular is the name Lena in 2025?

Lena ranked #279 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,106 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lena?

146,805 babies have been named Lena in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lena most popular?

Lena peaked in 1917, when 3,015 newborns received the name.

Is Lena a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Lena rising or falling?

Lena is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Lena become more popular?

Lena looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,134 girls named Lena in 2030, ranking around #275. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Lena?

Well-known people named Lena include Lena Dunham (actor), Lena Headey (actor), Lena Waithe (film director).

Names like Lena

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

Compare Lena with similar names → More names starting with L →