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.
- #2,616 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 4,896
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
4,896 girls have been named Nena since 1880, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Social Security Administration records show Nena recorded 4,896 times among girls since 1880, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used girls names, 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.
- #2,616 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 4,896 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nena ranks #2,616 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 4,896 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #2,616 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 4,896
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Nena's 4,896 recorded births place it above 96.38% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
22 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
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 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
1950s is the heaviest window (827 births, 17% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Nena sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Nena most popular? ▼
Where is Nena most popular? ▼
How long has the name Nena been used? ▼
What names are similar to Nena? ▼
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
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
Compare Nena side by side: Nena vs Nene Nena vs Neneh Nena vs Nenah
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nena: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1963)
Similar record span (~144 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.