Jolena
Feminine
Jolene was released as a single in October 1973 and Jolena peaks in 1974. A one-year lag is about as fast as a song can move a name, and it is faster than a film usually manages, because a record is heard repeatedly by the same person while a film is seen once.
How old is the name Jolena?
Jolena first appears in US birth records in 1949 — 76 years ago. The typical Jolena alive today was born around 1995, making them about 30 years old. About 1,100 people named Jolena are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Jolena most popular?
Jolena peaked in 1974, reaching #2683 nationally. Today it ranks #8362, 5,679 places below that high. See the whole 1974 chart.
Where it comes from
From Jolene to Jolena
Our story of Jolena
Our reading is that the timing here is worth comparing with other named causes, because different media move names at different speeds. A film gives one sharp year, usually with a lag of one to two years for conception and birth. A television series gives a plateau across its run. A song is different again: it is heard many times by the same listener over months, and if it charts it is inescapable, so the effect arrives quickly and fades quickly. Jolene charted in late 1973 and Jolena peaks in 1974, which is the shortest lag possible given the arithmetic of pregnancy. The parent name Jolene peaks the same year. What the song added was not merely exposure but a character: the woman being addressed is a rival, described entirely in terms of beauty, and the name is repeated dozens of times in under three minutes.
Meaningscholars disagree
Not established
Jolena is a variant of Jolene, which is generally read as an American formation on Jo, itself a clip of Joseph or Josephine, with the -lene ending of Marlene and Charlene. Neither element carries an inherited meaning. Dolly Parton has said she took the name Jolene from a young fan she met at a concert. It peaks in 1974.
How the name formed
- Jolene
- Jolena
Pronouncing Jolena
joh-LEE-nah
Three syllables, stress on the second. joh-LEN-ah, with a short middle vowel, is also heard. Jolene has two syllables and the -a ending is what adds the third.
Nicknames for Jolena
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
- 1949
- Most girls named
- 198234 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2683reached in 1974
- Change vs 2024
- +9.1%12 in 2025, from 11
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.
Jolenas among us
people named Jolena are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 133,939 born in 2025 was named Jolena
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 Sheela test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Jolena's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Sheela climbed just as high around 1959, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Sheela's path sketches the road Jolena is walking now.
Jolena 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
Jolena beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Jolena in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Jo and Lena are two complete names as short forms.
- The rhythm is even and easy to say.
- The sound is familiar from a very well known song.
- Jolene is far more common and carries the song directly.
- Two readings of the middle vowel circulate.
- There is no meaning behind either element.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Jolena to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Jolena
Feminine · #8362 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Jolenas 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 Jolena are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Jolena in 2025?
- Jolena ranks #8362 among US girl names in 2025, with 12 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Jolena?
- About 1 in every 133,939 US girls born in 2025 was named Jolena — 12 in all.
- Will my child share the name Jolena with classmates?
- Jolena will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Jolena
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Lona#8362 · Peggy#8362 · Leda#8362 · Margarette#8362 · Rella#8362 · Evalena#8362 · Vashti#8362 · Nona#8362
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Jolena? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Jolena and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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