Jalen is a distinctive boys' name in United States, ranking #547 in 2020 with 519 recorded births. The name reached its all-time peak in 2000 with 3,513 births ranking #106. Since 1996, the popularity has decreased by 62.0%. In 2020, approximately 1 in every 3,324 boys born was named Jalen. STABLE Recent data shows the name is currently stable.
Jalen is a modern invented name rather than an older traditional one with a hidden etymology. Behind the Name treats it as an African American modern name that gained visibility through basketball player Jalen Rose.
The name was popularized in the 1990s by Jalen Rose, whose own name combined James and Leonard. That makes Jalen one of the clearest examples of a modern coined name becoming fully mainstream.