Fun Facts About the Name Dalena
- More than 1 thousand babies named Dalena: U.S. records list 1,109 babies given the name Dalena from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Dalena Mean?
Dalena is a feminine given name whose meaning is not settled, and no single origin is confirmed. The explanation given most often is that it is a shortened form of Magdalena, the name of Mary Magdalene. Magdalena is a Latin and Greek form of a Hebrew byname meaning "of Magdala," after the town of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee; the place name is usually explained as "tower," from Hebrew migdal, though that derivation is not certain. On this reading, Dalena carries the same sense as Magdalena - a reference to a place rather than to a quality or trait.
A second explanation links Dalena to Alena, a name used in Czech, Slovak, Russian, and German. Alena is itself often treated as a short form of Magdalena, or of Helena, which comes from Greek and is commonly glossed "torch" or "light," with a link to Greek selene ("moon") also proposed. A third, unrelated explanation treats Dalena as an English name built on the surname-derived Dale, from Old English dæl, "valley," with a feminine ending added. None of these explanations can be confirmed.
Dalena Name History & Origins
If Dalena belongs to the Magdalena family, its history is bound up with that name's many shortened forms. Magdalena entered European languages through the Latin Bible and the medieval veneration of Mary Magdalene, and it produced a wide set of vernacular versions: Madeleine in French, Maddalena in Italian, Magdalena in Spanish, Polish, and Czech, and Maud and Madge in English. Two- and three-syllable shortenings that keep only the later part of the name - Lena, Alena, Lene - are common in German, Scandinavian, and Slavic use, and Dalena fits that pattern of trimming a longer name down.
Dalena is also used as a rare feminine given name in the United States and in parts of Europe. It is not associated with a saint, a royal house, or a well-known literary character, and no single event or figure is tied to its use.
How Popular is the Name Dalena?
Dalena has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1993. Its best rank was #2,498 in 1993.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,278 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #6,979 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2023 | #12,425 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #13,990 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2021 | #9,103 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2020 | #10,455 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #10,676 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #9,310 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #9,467 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #9,565 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #7,719 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2014 | #8,591 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #10,438 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2012 | #9,882 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2011 | #12,437 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #8,377 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2009 | #5,935 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2008 | #8,215 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2007 | #5,563 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2006 | #7,973 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2005 | #7,994 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2004 | #5,615 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2003 | #5,123 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2002 | #5,721 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2001 | #4,240 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2000 | #7,678 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1999 | #3,995 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1998 | #5,420 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1997 | #4,253 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1996 | #3,857 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1995 | #2,695 | 45 | 0.0026% |
| 1994 | #2,669 | 46 | 0.0026% |
| 1993 | #2,498 | 50 | 0.0028% |
| 1992 | #2,693 | 45 | 0.0024% |
| 1991 | #5,461 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1990 | #11,736 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #6,236 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1988 | #6,745 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #8,986 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #7,911 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #5,422 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1984 | #6,934 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #5,210 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1982 | #4,201 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1981 | #4,380 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1980 | #3,873 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1979 | #4,454 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1978 | #3,804 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 1977 | #3,786 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 1976 | #3,567 | 19 | 0.0013% |
| 1975 | #3,980 | 16 | 0.0011% |
| 1974 | #5,067 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1973 | #3,811 | 16 | 0.0011% |
| 1972 | #3,578 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 1971 | #4,870 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1970 | #4,078 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1969 | #4,778 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1968 | #3,479 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1967 | #3,231 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1966 | #4,246 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1965 | #5,941 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #3,401 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1963 | #3,363 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1962 | #4,055 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1961 | #6,747 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1958 | #4,594 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1957 | #4,273 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1956 | #6,131 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1951 | #4,953 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #5,457 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1946 | #5,101 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Dalena Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are strong in material matters, determined and stubborn. You have good business ability. You are a good worker, steady and practical, a builder who takes responsibility well. These qualities may bring you a position of authority and power. You are a doer, down-to-earth, serious-minded, reliable, and self-disciplined; have good power of concentration. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Dalena's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Dalena's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.