girls' name ★ peaked 1995

Selena

Meaning heavenly Gender Girl Rank 2025 #268 Trend → Stable

Either a variant of Selina, from Latin Caelīna (“heavenly”, from caelum (“sky, heaven”)), or from Selene, the Ancient Greek goddess of the moon.

Rank 2025
#268
among girls · ↓23 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,170
named Selena · -10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,374
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1995
3,840 babies
All-time total
59,944
#528 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Selena popularity over time

59,944 babies have been named Selena 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
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 102 – 102 10 – #572
1890s 143 – 143 14 +40% #662
1900s 179 – 179 18 +25% #711
1910s 318 – 318 32 +78% #923
1920s 424 – 424 42 +33% #1,093
1930s 327 – 327 33 -23% #1,126
1940s 455 – 455 46 +39% #980
1950s 964 – 964 96 +112% #680
1960s 2,535 – 2,535 254 +163% #548
1970s 4,843 – 4,843 484 +91% #302
1980s 3,362 – 3,362 336 -31% #470
1990s 15,043 34 15,077 1,508 +348% #91
2000s 12,417 23 12,440 1,244 -17% #194
2010s 11,028 – 11,028 1,103 -11% #234
2020s (to 2025) 7,747 – 7,747 1,291 +17% #203

Where Selena 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 1,166 0.73 #269
2027 1,162 0.72 #269
2028 1,159 0.72 #269
2029 1,156 0.72 #269
2030 1,154 0.72 #270

Where Selena is most popular

Girls named Selena per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.802 per 1,000. Strongest in New Mexico, Nevada, and Delaware.

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 Selena 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
New Mexico 74 3.04 +280%
Nevada 107 2.30 +187%
Delaware 20 1.76 +120%
Hawaii 19 1.66 +107%
Arizona 227 1.62 +102%
California 1,247 1.48 +85%
Rhode Island 18 1.44 +79%
Oregon 90 1.38 +72%
Connecticut 76 1.31 +63%
Oklahoma 88 1.20 +49%
Washington 162 1.12 +40%
Florida 460 1.08 +34%
Colorado 118 1.06 +32%
New Jersey 188 1.04 +30%
Illinois 238 1.04 +30%
Texas 796 0.990 +23%
Michigan 180 0.988 +23%
Idaho 33 0.986 +23%
Nebraska 35 0.974 +21%
Maryland 99 0.934 +17%
Arkansas 46 0.870 +9%
Virginia 141 0.827 ≈ national
Massachusetts 99 0.819 ≈ national
Kentucky 70 0.818 ≈ national
North Carolina 182 0.799 ≈ national
Missouri 96 0.797 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 185 0.782 ≈ national
Kansas 45 0.780 ≈ national
South Carolina 69 0.768 ≈ national
New York 302 0.763 -5%
Wisconsin 77 0.748 -7%
Alaska 6 0.697 -13%
Utah 57 0.685 -15%
Alabama 64 0.682 -15%
Georgia 151 0.665 -17%
Ohio 157 0.662 -17%
Minnesota 69 0.639 -20%
Indiana 85 0.605 -24%
Iowa 35 0.599 -25%
New Hampshire 11 0.596 -26%
Louisiana 46 0.526 -34%
Mississippi 23 0.492 -39%
Tennessee 77 0.486 -39%
South Dakota 6 0.420 -48%
Montana 5 0.369 -54%
West Virginia 7 0.267 -67%
District of Columbia – – –
Maine – – –
North Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

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 Selena

Selena is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #268 in 2025 with 1,170 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 59,944 American babies have been named Selena. Its peak came in 1995, when 3,840 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

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

How old are people named Selena?

The median living Selena is about 24 years old; half are between 11 and 30. An estimated 57 thousand people named Selena are alive in the United States today.

median 24 020406080100

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

Selena 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 1,170 #268 – –
2024 1,294 #245 – –
2023 1,307 #229 – –
2022 1,280 #239 – –
2021 1,453 #203 – –
2020 1,243 #242 – –
2019 1,336 #234 – –
2018 1,316 #248 – –
2017 1,306 #243 – –
2016 1,126 #287 – –
2015 1,016 #321 – –
2014 960 #345 – –
2013 945 #344 – –
2012 1,053 #304 – –
2011 986 #319 – –
2010 984 #328 – –
2009 1,019 #321 – –
2008 957 #349 – –
2007 1,059 #319 – –
2006 1,164 #284 – –
2005 1,379 #242 – –
2004 1,242 #258 6 #11,121
2003 1,179 #269 – –
2002 1,288 #246 5 #12,189
2001 1,485 #214 6 #10,337
2000 1,645 #194 6 #10,131
1995 3,825 #91 15 #4,237
1990 263 #779 – –
1985 310 #611 – –
1980 452 #470 – –
1975 344 #518 – –
1970 297 #594 – –
1965 272 #580 – –
1960 199 #720 – –
1955 59 #1,317 – –
1950 58 #1,222 – –
1945 50 #1,119 – –
1940 22 #1,736 – –
1935 29 #1,378 – –
1930 44 #1,126 – –
1925 43 #1,193 – –
1920 46 #1,115 – –
1915 40 #1,071 – –
1910 21 #967 – –
1905 15 #1,004 – –
1900 20 #856 – –
1895 11 #1,043 – –
1890 14 #753 – –
1885 15 #572 – –
1880 5 #928 – –

Famous people named Selena

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

  1. 1 Selena Gomez Selena Gomez American actress and singer (born 1992) Contemporary
  2. 2 Selena Selena American singer-songwriter (1971–1995) Contemporary
  3. 3 Selena Rocky Malone Australian LGBTI activist Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Selena?

The median living Selena is about 24 years old. Half of all living Selenas are between 11 and 30 years old.

How many people named Selena are alive today?

An estimated 57 thousand people named Selena are alive in the United States, based on 59,944 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Selena mean?

Either a variant of Selina, from Latin Caelīna (“heavenly”, from caelum (“sky, heaven”)), or from Selene, the Ancient Greek goddess of the moon.

How popular is the name Selena in 2025?

Selena ranked #268 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,170 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Selena?

59,944 babies have been named Selena in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Selena most popular?

Selena peaked in 1995, when 3,840 newborns received the name.

Is Selena a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Selena rising or falling?

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

Will Selena become more popular?

Selena looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,154 girls named Selena in 2030, ranking around #270. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Selena?

Well-known people named Selena include Selena Gomez (singer), Selena (singer), Selena Rocky Malone (social activist).

Names like Selena

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

Compare Selena with similar names → More names starting with S →