ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1909 First Year 2026 Last Year 1946 Peak Year #818 Peak Rank 3K Total Count 117 Years Active Advertisement 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Ilona What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Ilona is a feminine given name used primarily in Hungary and Finland, as well as in other parts of Central and Eastern Europe. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilona) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilona) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Hungarian * German * Finnish * Estonian * Latvian * Lithuanian * Polish * Czech 📖 ## The Story of Ilona The earliest SSA record of Ilona as a baby girl name dates back to 1909, when 5 babies received it. 1946 was its biggest year on record, with 102 newborns named Ilona — #818 in the national rankings. About 22% of every Ilona on record arrived during the 1940s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Ilona ranks #5,275 for baby girls with 24 births, gradually falling (-12%). All told, over 3K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1900s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Ilona Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Ilona. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Ili * Ilike * [Ilka](/ilka) * Ilonka ⭐ ## Notable people named Ilona A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia. * ●Archduchess Ilona of Austria (1927-2011) * ●Ilona Ács (1920–1976), Hungarian freestyle swimmer * ●Ilona Aczél (1884–1940), Hungarian actress * ●Ilona Andrássy (1858–1952), Hungarian noblewoman * ●Ilona Andrews , joint pen name of American novelist duo Ilona and Andrew Gordon * ●Ilona Banga (1906–1998), Hungarian biochemist * ●Ilona Bata (born 1955), Hungarian rower * ●Ilona Békési (born 1953), Hungarian artistic gymnast Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilona) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilona) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Ilona Phonetically similar names — useful when Ilona is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Elaina](/elaina) * [Elana](/elana) * [Ilana](/ilana) * [Alona](/alona) * [Illinois](/illinois) * [Elena](/elena) * [Alina](/alina) * [Alaina](/alaina) * [Alayna](/alayna) * [Elina](/elina) * [Aleena](/aleena) * [Allana](/allana) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Ilona What does the name Ilona mean? Ilona is a feminine given name used primarily in Hungary and Finland, as well as in other parts of Central and Eastern Europe. What is the origin of the name Ilona? Ilona has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Hungarian, German, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech. How popular is Ilona in 2026? In 2026, Ilona ranks #5,275 among girls' names in the U.S., with 24 babies given the name that year. When was Ilona most popular? Ilona reached its peak popularity in 1946, ranking #818 that year with 102 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Ilona most popular? Ilona has historically been most popular in New Jersey, Minnesota, Connecticut. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Ilona. Is Ilona a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Ilona is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name. What names go well with Ilona? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Ilona include Lise, Ireland, Dalary. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Ilona? Common variants and related forms of Ilona include Ili, Ilike, Ilka, Ilonka. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names [👧LisePeak #818](/lise)[👧IrelandPeak #818](/ireland)[👧DalaryPeak #818](/dalary)[👧AmaliePeak #817](/amalie)[👧DeliahPeak #817](/deliah)[👧PerryPeak #817](/perry)[👧CherriePeak #817](/cherrie)[👧IsobelPeak #817](/isobel) Advertisement ## About the name Ilona Ilona is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1909 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Ilona's peak popularity came in 1946 when it ranked #818\. Use the chart and map above to compare Ilona's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1946 → ](/year/1946) * [ Names of the 1940s → ](/decade/1940s) * [ Names starting with "I" → ](/letter/i) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides. Advertisement