Total births
4,896
Girls' name · since 1880
Nena
4,896 babies named Nena in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1963. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #8954
- among girls today
- 4,896
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 49%
- more common than other girls
Nena currently ranks #8954 among girls' names in America, with 4,896 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Nena recorded 4,896 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #8954 nationally today, ahead of 49% of girls, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2024.
- #8954 among girls today
- 4,896 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 49% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Nena is currently the #8954 girls' name in America, more common than 49% of girls - 4,896 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #8954
- among girls today
- 4,896
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 49%
- more common than other girls
Nena vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#8954
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 49% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Nena was born in this single decade.
1963
Single peak year
112 babies were named Nena in 1963 - its busiest year on record.
How Nena compares
4,896 Top 13% higher than 87% 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
Nena's all-time total is 13x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nena | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,896 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 112 | 48 | 19,840 |
Nena's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Nena splits its recorded history at 1952: 71% of all births land in the more recent half, 29% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1883 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1963 peak of 112 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Nena at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1963
Current rank
#8,954
Active since
1880
Nena popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2024
- Peak year (1963)
- 112
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Nena by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Nena's strongest decade.
827 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Nena births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 73
1880s
73 births
- 1890s 108
1890s
108 births
- 1900s 97
1900s
97 births
- 1910s 218
1910s
218 births
- 1920s 292
1920s
292 births
- 1930s 224
1930s
224 births
- 1940s 308
1940s
308 births
- 1950s
1950s
827 births
- 1960s
1960s
778 births
- 1970s
1970s
458 births
- 1980s
1980s
640 births
- 1990s 322
1990s
322 births
- 2000s 316
2000s
316 births
- 2010s 191
2010s
191 births
- 2020s 44
2020s
44 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 827 births (17% of all-time use).
How Nena 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 Nena's total volume
Nena vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Nena by state
Where Nena concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 345 | 7.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 287 | 5.9% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 92 | 1.9% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 61 | 1.2% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 56 | 1.1% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 45 | 0.9% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 44 | 0.9% |
| #8 | Alabama | | 42 | 0.9% |
California share of Nena's total US births 7.0%
Even split
345 of 4,896 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 22 reporting states.
Nena appears in 22 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nena? ▼
Nena has been given to 4,896 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #8954 as of the latest data. 112 babies were born in 1963, its single highest year.
When was Nena most popular? ▼
Nena was most popular in the 1950s decade with 827 total births. The single peak year was 1963.
Where is Nena most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Nena are California (345 births), Texas (287 births), Illinois (92 births).
How long has the name Nena been used? ▼
Nena has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Nena? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nene, Neneh, Nenah, Nency, and 3 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Nena's data
- Nena's decade-level peak was the 1950s (827 total births); usage has since declined to 44 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Nenas (345 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 Nena
Nearby Names Like Nena
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nena
Nene Girl
#8661 199 births
Neneh Girl
29 births
Nenah Girl
17 births
Nency Girl
15 births
Nenia Girl
11 births
Compare Nena side by side: Nena vs Nene Nena vs Neneh Nena vs Nenah
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nena
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, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Nena: #8954 Girls' Name - 4,896 Births, Peak 1963." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/nena. 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 Nena 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.