Total births
36,224
Girls' name · since 1918
Jolene
Jolene has 36,224 recorded births since 1918 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1974 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #603
- among girls today
- 36,224
- born since 1918
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Jolene currently ranks #603 among girls' names in America, with 36,224 babies recorded since 1918.
Jolene has 36,224 recorded births among girls since 1918, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #603 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of girls, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1918 to 2025.
- #603 among girls today
- 36,224 born since 1918
- 1970s peak decade
- 97% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Jolene is currently the #603 girls' name in America, more common than 97% of girls - 36,224 born since 1918, peaking in the 1970s.
- #603
- among girls today
- 36,224
- born since 1918
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Jolene vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#603
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 97% of names given to girls today.
1970s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Jolene was born in this single decade.
1974
Single peak year
1,053 babies were named Jolene in 1974 - its busiest year on record.
How Jolene compares
36,224 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Jolene's all-time total is 95x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Jolene | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 36,224 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,053 | 48 | 19,840 |
Jolene's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Jolene's SSA record in two at 1972 and the more recent half accounts for 62% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 38%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1923, with only 6 births recorded -- set against the 1974 peak of 1,053, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Jolene at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1974
Current rank
#603
Active since
1918
Jolene popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1918–2025
- Peak year (1974)
- 1,053
- Annual births at peak, across 108 years of records
Jolene popularity over time - boys
12 total births recorded since 1974 (Jolene as boys' name)
Jolene by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Jolene's strongest decade.
6,018 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Jolene births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 14
1910s
14 births
- 1920s 226
1920s
226 births
- 1930s 999
1930s
999 births
- 1940s 2,347
1940s
2,347 births
- 1950s
1950s
4,820 births
- 1960s
1960s
4,789 births
- 1970s
1970s
6,018 births
- 1980s
1980s
5,293 births
- 1990s 1,784
1990s
1,784 births
- 2000s 1,966
2000s
1,966 births
- 2010s
2010s
4,514 births
- 2020s
2020s
3,454 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 6,018 births (17% of all-time use).
How Jolene compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Jolene's total volume
Jolene vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Jolene by state
Where Jolene concentrates geographically, total births since 1918
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 4,368 | 12.1% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 1,901 | 5.2% |
| #3 | Iowa | | 1,720 | 4.7% |
| #4 | Texas | | 1,720 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Minnesota | | 1,694 | 4.7% |
| #6 | New York | | 1,677 | 4.6% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 1,354 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 1,353 | 3.7% |
California share of Jolene's total US births 12.1%
Even split
4,368 of 36,224 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 48 reporting states.
Jolene appears in 48 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Jolene? ▼
36,224 babies have been named Jolene since 1918. It currently ranks #603 among girls. The peak year was 1974 with 1,053 births.
When was Jolene most popular? ▼
Jolene was most popular in the 1970s decade with 6,018 total births. The single peak year was 1974.
Where is Jolene most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Jolene are California (4,368 births), Pennsylvania (1,901 births), Iowa (1,720 births).
How long has the name Jolene been used? ▼
Records for Jolene go back to 1918, giving 108 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Jolene? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Jolie, Joleen, Jolynn, Jolee, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Jolene's data
- Jolene's usage has stayed within range of its 1970s decade-level peak (6,018 total births) through the 2020s (3,454) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Jolenes (4,368 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Jolene
Nearby Names Like Jolene
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Jolene
Jolie Girl
#901 14,099 births
Joleen Girl
#7304 6,670 births
Jolynn Girl
#6206 4,620 births
Jolee Girl
#2395 3,897 births
Joline Girl
#15462 2,136 births
Compare Jolene side by side: Jolene vs Jolie Jolene vs Joleen Jolene vs Jolynn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Jolene
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1918–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Jolene: #603 Girls' Name - 36,224 Births, Peak 1974." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/jolene. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Jolene draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.