Given name
Selene
“light”
Selene is a feminine given name from Ancient Greek. It is used in English and Italian.
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
The story
In mythological stories, Selene is associated with the goddess of the moon.
Selene through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 9,718
- 5 boys · 9,713 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 469 babies
- 2025
- 469
- #623 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +44%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 469 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 623 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 43.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (101). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 9,318 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Selene’s family of names
In English usage, Selene has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Selena. Selene has a related form in Selena. In English usage, Selene has a related form in Selina.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Selene has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 21
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Selene
- Selene JohnsonAmerican actress (1876-1960)
- Selene CaramazzaItalian actressborn 1993
- Selene LunaAmerican performerborn 1971
Characters named Selene: Selene (the film series Underworld).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Selene, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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12% boys · 88% girls