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Jalen

Meaning
Supplanter, holder of the heel
Origin
Hebrew — From James, the first part of this blend, coined for the basketball player Jalen Rose
Meaning
Brave lion
Origin
Germanic — From Len, short for Leonard, the second part

Boy's name · #443 in the US (2025) · 2000s wave

Popularity over time

Jalen reached #106 in 2000 and has eased to #443 since. About 41,000 boys have carried it since 1976.

Jalen surged in the early 1990s as basketball player Jalen Rose became nationally known with Michigan’s Fab Five.

Across the states

See where Jalen is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 37 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Jalen ranks in other countries and regions.

#629 in Canada (2025) · #1,798 in England & Wales (2025) · #2,569 in France (2025) · #4,756 in Ecuador (2024) · #251 in Slovenia (2020) · #1,249 in Austria (2010).

Famous Jalens

What Jalens become

Among 281 notable people named Jalen:

Sports figures appear 4.39× more often than among typical names — e.g. Jalen Brunson, American basketball player (born 1996).

Similar names: Kaden · Jaylen · Mekhi · Javon · Draven · Jaiden

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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