Dena
Girl name · #4548 in 2025 · Uniqueness 77/100
Dena is currently the #4548 girl name in the United States — 30 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #3989, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 60,000 girls born in 2025 was named Dena.
The 145-year story
Dena first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 13 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1970, when 1,542 girls were named Dena — good for #208 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Dena per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Dena against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Dena in class?
Dena scores 77 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. A high score means genuine rarity — your Dena will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Dena is most common
State-level data for Dena is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Dena
Statistically, parents drawn to Dena tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Deena, Rena, Tina, Dina, and Deanna.
DeenaRenaTinaDinaDeannaSonjaGinaUrsula
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Dena | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 30 | #4546 |
| 2024 | 29 | #4669 |
| 2023 | 27 | #4873 |
| 2022 | 35 | #4108 |
| 2021 | 32 | #4326 |
| 2020 | 29 | #4548 |
| 2019 | 32 | #4343 |
| 2018 | 37 | #3918 |
| 2017 | 42 | #3627 |
| 2016 | 44 | #3523 |
| 2015 | 37 | #3989 |
| 2014 | 45 | #3486 |
| 2013 | 43 | #3573 |
| 2012 | 34 | #4296 |
| 2011 | 42 | #3659 |
| 2010 | 50 | #3256 |
| 2009 | 47 | #3460 |
| 2008 | 59 | #2957 |
| 2007 | 61 | #2930 |
| 2006 | 66 | #2701 |
| 2005 | 69 | #2503 |
| 2004 | 65 | #2556 |
| 2003 | 84 | #2092 |
| 2002 | 93 | #1897 |
| 2001 | 71 | #2259 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Dena a popular girl name?
Dena ranked #4548 among girls in 2025 with 30 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #3989.
When was the name Dena most popular?
Dena peaked in 1970, when 1,542 American girls received the name (ranked #208 that year). Since 1970 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Dena?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 60,000 newborn American girls was named Dena. It scores 77/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.