Helena

“Variant of Helen — To shine, burn, or glow (Proto-Indo-European root swel-)” — Greek origin

Girl's name · #363 in the US (2025) · Comeback

Helena was #194 in 1881, slipped to #1007 by 1992, and has climbed back to #363 today. About 40,000 girls have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. Lena is a short form of Helena. About 1,200 girls a year are given Lena as their full name.

Around the world: #1 in Brazil (2025) · #14 in Poland (2025) · #23 in Austria (2025) · #77 in Switzerland (2024) · #93 in Spain (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 34 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Helenas

Helena Bonham Carter — British actress
Helena Blavatsky — Russian occult writer (1831-1891)
Helena Augusta — saint, first wife of Roman emperor Constantius Chlorus, and mother of Emperor Constantine the Great (250-330)
Helena Paparizou — Greek singer
Helena Rubinstein — Polish-American businesswoman, art collector, and philanthropist

In stories & tradition

Helena Ravenclaw — Harry Potter · Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Helena (Huntress) — Justice League Unlimited · Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Helena Wayne — Batman · DC Super Stars

What Helenas become

Among 2,854 notable people named Helena:

Medical professionals appear 1.79× more often than among typical names — e.g. Helena Kagan, Israeli pediatrician (1889-1978).

Similar names: Helen · Lena · Eliza · Selena · Cora · Magdalena

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

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