Girls' name · peaked in 1974
Jolene name popularity since 1925
36,178 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Jolene. Half of them were born in 1978 or earlier, so the typical Jolene is about 48 years old in 2026. Jolene peaked in 1974 as the #245 name for girls, and it ranked #666 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 36,178
- Named Jolene, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #666
- for girls in 2025 (423 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 100.0% girls
- 36,166 girls · 12 boys
- Most popular in
- Iowa
- 4.22× its national share
Peak year is the year Jolene made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Jolene births per year, 1925–2025
1974 was the biggest year for Jolene both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1969 and 1974, Jolene became 3.3× more common, from 1 in 4,630 baby girls to 1 in 1,390.
- Steepest fall: Between 1982 and 1987, its share of baby girls fell by 55%, from 1 in 2,200 to 1 in 4,900.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Jolene's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Jolene.
Decade by decade
Babies named Jolene in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 182 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 999 | 0 | #696 |
| 1940s | 2,347 | 0 | #527 |
| 1950s | 4,820 | 0 | #382 |
| 1960s | 4,789 | 0 | #448 |
| 1970s | 6,018 | 12 | #248 |
| 1980s | 5,293 | 0 | #471 |
| 1990s | 1,784 | 0 | #1,117 |
| 2000s | 1,966 | 0 | #1,189 |
| 2010s | 4,514 | 0 | #734 |
| 2020–25 | 3,454 | 0 | #666 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
24.2% of babies named Jolene from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen X years (1965–1980). The full split by generation:
Where Jolene is most popular
The index compares Jolene'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 Jolene.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 4.22× | 1,720 |
| South Dakota | 3.97× | 406 |
| Nebraska | 3.66× | 823 |
| Utah | 3.45× | 943 |
| Montana | 3.26× | 306 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Jolene and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Jolene (this page) | 36,166 | 1974 |
| Joline | 2,108 | 1928 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Jolene's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Jolene.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Jolene (1974).
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