Dalena
Feminine · “Hebrew Migdal”
Magdalena is cut differently in every language that has it. German takes the middle and gets Lena, Polish takes the front and gets Magda, Spanish takes a slice and gets Malena, Afrikaans takes the tail and gets Dalena. Each language cuts where its own rhythm allows.
How old is the name Dalena?
Dalena first appears in US birth records in 1946 — 79 years ago. The typical Dalena alive today was born around 1994, making them about 31 years old. About 1,100 people named Dalena are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Dalena most popular?
Dalena peaked in 1993, reaching #2489 nationally. Today it ranks #10107, 7,618 places below that high. See the whole 1993 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Magdalena to Dalena
The story of Dalena
Shortening a name is not arbitrary, and the same long name yields different short forms in different languages because each one has rules about what a word may look like. German prefers a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one, so Magdalena gives Lena and Leni. Polish is comfortable with a heavy opening cluster and gives Magda. Spanish keeps three syllables and gives Malena and Manena. Afrikaans and Dutch produce Dalena and Leentje. English, which likes a single stressed syllable plus a diminutive ending, gives Maddie. Five languages, one name, five cuts, and none of them lands on a morpheme boundary, because the name has none: Magdalena is a place plus a Greek suffix and the pieces mean nothing on their own.
Meaningscholars disagree
Hebrew Migdal, of Magdala
Dalena is most plausibly a short form of Magdalena, the Spanish, Dutch and Afrikaans form of Magdalene, meaning of Magdala. It may equally be a modern American formation from the Da- prefix and the -lena ending. The peak is 1993.
How the name formed
- Magdalena
- Dalena
Related forms: Dalena · Magdalena · Lena
Pronouncing Dalena
duh-LEE-nuh
Three syllables, stress on the second. Some say dah-LAY-nah, following the Spanish and Afrikaans vowels.
Nicknames for Dalena
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1946
- Most girls named
- 199446 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2489reached in 1993
- Change vs 2024
- −43.8%9 in 2025, from 16
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Dalena in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Dalena in Afrikaans — same name
- Magdalena in Spanish — related form
- Lena in German — related form
Dalenas among us
people named Dalena are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 178,585 born in 2025 was named Dalena
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Medina test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Dalena's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Medina climbed just as high around 1963, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Medina's path sketches the road Dalena is walking now.
Dalena sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Dalena beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Dalena in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Lena works as a short form and as a complete name.
- Magdalena is available as a formal version.
- Three syllables with a clear central stress.
- Two pronunciations of the middle vowel are in use.
- It will be heard as Dalina, Delaina or Elena.
- The 1993 peak dates its American use.
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What they receive
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Dalena
Feminine · #10107 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Dalenas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,100 people named Dalena are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Dalena in 2025?
- Dalena ranks #10107 among US girl names in 2025, with 9 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Dalena?
- About 1 in every 178,585 US girls born in 2025 was named Dalena — 9 in all.
- Will my child share the name Dalena with classmates?
- Dalena will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Dalena
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Berta#10107 · Jettie#10107 · Maye#10107 · Osa#10107 · Fidelia#10107 · Alysa#10107 · Su#10107 · Willie#10107
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Dalena? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Dalena and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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