The Baby Name Wizard

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Contribute to, or edit, this collection of community wisdom on the name Nena!

Comments and insights on the name Nena: | Edit

This name with this spelling, Nena rather than Nina, has been more popular in the 19th Century, and is rare now.

Personal experiences with the name Nena: | Edit

It's my name, and I have had only 2 people, both of Latino origin, tell me they know someone with this name.

Nicknames for Nena: | Edit

Neen, Neener, Neenee

In Mexico, Nena is used as a nickname for Elena and Magdalena.

Meanings and history of the name Nena: | Edit

Nena comes from the Hebrew Magdalena. The meaning is "of Magdela". In Aztec mythology it is the name of one of the first two humans: Nata and Nena. It also means girl in Spanish (not to be confused with Nina which means baby) and is an endearing name for a daughter. Nena was also an ancient supercontinent, and NENA is the acronym for National Emergency Number Association and Northeastern Neo-Aramaic.

Famous real-life people named Nena: | Edit

Nena, real name Gabriele Susanne Kerner. German pop singer who sang "99 Luftballons" in German during the 1980's. It was a hit in the U.S. and elsewhere, but in the U.S. she is known as a one-hit wonder. Her band for "99 Luftballons" was also named Nena. She got the nickname while vacationing with her family in Spain as a child.
There is a glacier in Chili named Glacier Nena. Others from Wikipedia:
* Nena (Olavo Rodrigues Barbosa), former Brazilian footballer
* Nena, singer; formerly also the name of the pop group that she founded
* Nena, one of the first two humans, Nata and Nena, in Aztec mythology
* Nena Cardenas, Filipina actress
* Nena Daconte, Spanish pop group
* Nena Danevic, film editor that was nominated for their work on Amadeus (film)
* Nena Peragallo, professor of nursing
* Nena Ristic, Serbian glamour model that worked with Charlotte Krona
* Nena Toth, film director
* Nena von Schlebrügge, psychotherapist and former fashion model
* Nena Trinity, a fictional character in Mobile Suit Gundam 00
* Extra Nena aka Snežana Berić, a Serbian singer that is known for Ljubim te pesmama

Nena in song, story & screen: | Edit

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