Jalen
Jalen is both a surname and given name. The given name, as well as variants like Jaylen and Jaylin, rose in popularity in the 1990s due to the success of basketball player Jalen Rose. Notable people with the name include:
- African American
Meaning & Origin of Jalen
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Jalen is both a surname and given name. The given name, as well as variants like Jaylen and Jaylin, rose in popularity in the 1990s due to the success of basketball player Jalen Rose. Notable people with the name include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- African American
The Story of Jalen
The earliest SSA record of Jalen as a baby boy name dates back to 1976, when 5 babies received it. 2000 was its biggest year on record, with 3,513 newborns named Jalen — #106 in the national rankings. The 2000s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 49% of all recorded Jalens. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #442 among baby boy names with 718 births, rising sharply (+30% over the past five years). In total, more than 42K Jalens have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Jalen
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Jalen. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Jalen
Phonetically similar names — useful when Jalen is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jalen
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About the name Jalen
Jalen is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1976 and has accumulated 42K births in the dataset. Jalen's peak popularity came in 2000 when it ranked #106. Use the chart and map above to compare Jalen's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2000 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "J" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . 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 (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
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.