girl's name
Selena
suh-LEE-nuh
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 76,696
the United States
#268
2025 births
Selena means the moon, and its curve has a shape we see nowhere else — American births went 918 in 1994 to 3,840 in 1995, the year Selena Quintanilla was killed on 31 March, then fell back to 2,296 the next year.
- Selena is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 1995, when 3,840 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,834 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Selena over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 102 |
| 1890s | 143 |
| 1900s | 179 |
| 1910s | 318 |
| 1920s | 424 |
| 1930s | 327 |
| 1940s | 455 |
| 1950s | 964 |
| 1960s | 2,535 |
| 1970s | 4,843 |
| 1980s | 3,362 |
| 1990s | 15,077 |
| 2000s | 12,440 |
| 2010s | 11,028 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 7,747 |
What Selena means
Selena means the moon. The Greek selene names the moon itself and the goddess who personified it, so the word and the deity are the same thing.
Where Selena comes from
Selena is a form of the Greek Selene, the moon and the goddess of it — sister of Helios the sun and Eos the dawn, and the one who loves the sleeping Endymion. The element selenium is named for her, chosen because the metal it was found alongside had been named for the earth. Selena reached Spanish and English use through Latin, and the Spanish-language singer who carried it is the reason for its modern shape in our data.
Selena in use
Selena has the sharpest single-year rise-and-fall we record. American births ran 313 in 1991, 663 in 1993 and 918 in 1994, then jumped to 3,840 in 1995 — the year Selena Quintanilla was murdered on 31 March — before dropping to 2,296 in 1996 and 2,007 in 1997. That spike-and-recession is the signature of a shocking event rather than a career, which builds and holds instead. Our data now marks it rising again, at 268th in the United States on 1,170 births, 271st in France on 315, 307th in Ireland, 324th in England and Wales on 134 and 354th in Scotland — five markets inside 86 places, the tightest spread on this site.
How popular is Selena?
In 2025, Selena was given to 1,170 babies in the United States, ranking #268 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Selena is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Selena is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Séléna | Séléna is Selena written with an acute accent, used in France, where it ranks #479. | 2,975 |
| Sélèna | Sélèna is a rare spelling of Selena, written with an acute accent and recorded about 175 times, mostly in France. | 175 |
| Sélena | Sélena is a rare spelling of Selena, written with an acute accent and recorded about 125 times, mostly in France. | 125 |
| Seléna | Seléna is a rare spelling of Selena, written with an acute accent and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Selena
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Selena also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Selena over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Selena
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Selena in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Selena
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Selena — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Selena
What does the name Selena mean?
The moon — the Greek Selene, both the moon and the goddess of it.
Did Selena Quintanilla affect the name?
Sharply. Births went from 918 in 1994 to 3,840 in 1995, the year she was killed, then fell back the next year.
Why does that shape matter?
A spike that immediately recedes is the signature of a shocking event. A career builds and holds instead.
Where is Selena used?
Five markets inside 86 places of each other — the tightest spread we record.
How popular is the name Selena?
In 2025, Selena was given to 1,170 babies in the United States, ranking #268 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Selena a girl's or a boy's name?
Selena is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Selena?
Selena has 3 syllables.
When was Selena most popular?
Selena peaked in 1995, when 3,840 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Selena?
Selena is usually shortened to Lena.
Is Selena a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Selena currently ranks #198 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.