Girls' name · since 1880
Selena
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 59,887 babies named Selena, peaking in 1995. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #528 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #268 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 59,887
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
59,887 babies have been named Selena since 1880, making it today's #268 girls' name.
Selena has 59,887 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #268 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of girls, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #528 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #268 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 59,887 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Selena ranks #528 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #268 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 59,887 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #528 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #268 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 59,887
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
Selena's 59,887 recorded births place it above 99.27% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
50 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Selena compares
59,887 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,297 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
Selena's all-time total is 159x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Selena | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 59,887 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 3,825 | 21 | 19,840 |
Selena's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Selena's full recorded timeline at 1953, 96% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 4% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1995 peak of 3,825 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Selena popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1995)
- 3,825
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Selena popularity over time - boys
57 total births recorded since 1995 (Selena as boys' name)
Selena by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (15,043 births, 25% of the file).
1990s was Selena's strongest decade.
15,043 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Selena births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 102
1880s
102 births
- 1890s 143
1890s
143 births
- 1900s 179
1900s
179 births
- 1910s 318
1910s
318 births
- 1920s 424
1920s
424 births
- 1930s 327
1930s
327 births
- 1940s 455
1940s
455 births
- 1950s 964
1950s
964 births
- 1960s 2,535
1960s
2,535 births
- 1970s 4,843
1970s
4,843 births
- 1980s 3,362
1980s
3,362 births
- 1990s
1990s
15,043 births
- 2000s
2000s
12,417 births
- 2010s
2010s
11,028 births
- 2020s
2020s
7,747 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 15,043 births (25% of all-time use).
How Selena 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 Selena's total volume
Selena by state
Where Selena concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 9,274 | 15.5% |
| #2 | Texas | | 6,369 | 10.6% |
| #3 | New York | | 3,464 | 5.8% |
| #4 | Florida | | 3,253 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 2,492 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 2,087 | 3.5% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 1,835 | 3.1% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 1,830 | 3.1% |
9,274 of 59,887 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Selena appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Selena? ▼
Where does Selena sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Selena most popular? ▼
Where is Selena most popular? ▼
How long has the name Selena been used? ▼
What names are similar to Selena? ▼
What to do with Selena's data
- Selena's usage has stayed within range of its 1990s decade-level peak (15,043 total births) through the 2020s (7,747) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Selenas (9,274 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 Selena
Nearby Names Like Selena
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Selena
Compare Selena side by side: Selena vs Selma Selena vs Selina Selena vs Selah
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Selena
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Selena: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1995)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Selena 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.