Variant of Selena, from Greek 'selene' meaning moon.
Salena is a variant of Selena or Selene, names rooted in the ancient Greek "Selēnē" (Σελήνη), the personification of the moon in Greek mythology. Selene was a Titan goddess who drove her silver chariot across the night sky, and her name became synonymous with the moon's pale, luminous beauty. The Latin adaptation "Selena" softened the Greek form, and various spellings — Selena, Selina, Salena, Celena — spread across European and later American naming traditions, each carrying the moon's quiet radiance.
The name Selena gained widespread modern recognition through Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, the beloved Tejano singer whose tragic death in 1995 at age 23 cemented her as an icon of Latin American culture and American pop history. Her given name, in all its spellings, became charged with her memory — joyful, powerful, and deeply mourned. The variant Salena, with its 'a,' offers a slightly warmer, more Mediterranean sound than the more common Selena, while sharing the same lunar lineage.
Salena Jones, the jazz and pop vocalist, gave the spelling her own distinguished career. Salena sits in a sweet spot today: familiar enough to be immediately understood, distinctive enough to stand apart. Its moon mythology gives it an ethereal quality, while its 'a' spelling grounds it in a warmer, earthier register. For parents drawn to nature names, mythological names, or names with Latin musical heritage, Salena offers all three in one luminous package.