Belen is the Spanish name for Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, and goes back to the Hebrew Beit Lechem, "house of bread". In Spain and Latin America it is a traditional Marian name, often given to girls born around Christmas. Belen has been in the US top 1000 since 2002 and is slowly gaining ground: it reached a peak of number 671 in 2024 and ranks number 785 in 2025.