Boys' name · peaked in 2000
Jalen name popularity since 1925
42,547 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Jalen (4.0% girls, 96.0% boys). Half of them were born in 2002 or earlier, so the typical Jalen is about 24 years old in 2026. Jalen peaked in 2000 as the #106 name for boys, and it ranked #443 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 42,547
- Named Jalen, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #443
- for boys in 2025 (711 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 96.0% boys
- 1,711 girls · 40,836 boys
- Most popular in
- Georgia
- 2.38× its national share
Peak year is the year Jalen made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Jalen births per year, 1925–2025
2000 was the biggest year for Jalen both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1997 and 2002, Jalen became 2.6× more common, from 1 in 1,860 baby boys to 1 in 723.
- Steepest fall: Between 2003 and 2008, its share of baby boys fell by 61%, from 1 in 754 to 1 in 1,940.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Jalen's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Jalen.
Decade by decade
Babies named Jalen in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1970s | 0 | 10 | Under 5 |
| 1980s | 0 | 16 | Under 5 |
| 1990s | 586 | 11,123 | #211 |
| 2000s | 916 | 20,447 | #212 |
| 2010s | 164 | 5,483 | #590 |
| 2020–25 | 45 | 3,757 | #443 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000. "Under 5" means fewer than 5 boys got the name.
Generation fingerprint
66.6% of babies named Jalen from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Jalen is most popular
The index compares Jalen's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Jalen.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 2.38× | 2,685 |
| South Carolina | 1.92× | 1,100 |
| North Carolina | 1.89× | 2,196 |
| Mississippi | 1.84× | 913 |
| Michigan | 1.69× | 2,645 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Jalen and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Jalen (this page) | 40,836 | 2000 |
| Jalon | 2,468 | 2001 |
| Jalin | 1,800 | 2001 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Jalen's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Jalen.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Jalen (2000).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data