Given name & surname · also Gaelic
Ena
“a fiery and passionate woman”
Ena is used as a given name and a surname. One Irish interpretation is “a fiery and passionate woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Irish interpretation is “a fiery and passionate woman.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Irish.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Ena connects to the Aidan name family through Edana. The history of Aidan gives this family its wider story. Aidan experienced a revival in the 20th century.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Ena through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,587
- 0 boys · 3,587 girls
- Most popular year
- 1906
- 89 babies
- 2025
- 44
- #3,482 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- 0%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 44 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,482 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was virtually unchanged in 2021–2025 compared with 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 89 in 1906. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,587 as a first name in 2020; 149 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ena’s family of names
Ena has a related form in Enya. Ena has a related form in Edana. Ena has a related form in Eny.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Ena
- Ena ShibaharaUS, later Japanese, tennis playerborn 1998
- Ena BegovićCroatian actress (1960–2000)
- Ena MahmutovicGerman footballer (born 2003)
- Ena KadicAustrian model (1989-2015)
- Ena GregoryAustralian actress1906–1993
- Ena von BaerChilean politician (born 1974)
- Ena SendijarevićBosnian-Dutch film director and screen writerborn 1987
- Ena Lucía PortelaCuban writerborn 1972
- Ena MurraySouth African writer (1936-2015)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ena, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Euna
Euna is a feminine given name.
>99% girls
Una
“one who is pure; chaste”
>99% girls
Alva
“one who has a fair complexion” · “a bright man”
24% boys · 76% girls
Aline
“one who pays homage to Ireland”
>99% girls
Fay
“from the fairy kingdom; a fairy or an elf” · “resembling a raven”
>99% girls
Arlene
“an oath; a pledge”
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Elna
Elna is a feminine given name from Elin. It is used in Swedish, Danish, Finnish, and Faroese.
>99% girls
Era
Era is a feminine given name. It is used in Albanian.
4% boys · 96% girls