Yelena

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

Girl's name · #1807 in the US (2025) · Trending

Yelena is moving up the charts. First recorded in 1961, it stood at #1807 in 2025; about 1,600 girls have been named Yelena along the way. Lena is a short form of Yelena. About 1,200 girls a year are given Lena as their full name.

Around the world: about 1 in 11,000 girls in France (2025) · about 1 in 17,000 girls in Switzerland (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 7 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Yelenas

Yelena Isinbayeva — Russian female Olympic pole-vaulter
Yelena Bonner — human rights activist in the former Soviet Union; wife of dissident Andrei Sakharov
Yelena Serova — Russian cosmonaut
Yelena Slesarenko — athletics competitor
Yelena Kondakova — Russian cosmonaut

In stories & tradition

Yelena Belova — Marvel's Avengers Assemble
Yelena Andreevna Serebryakova — Uncle Vanya

What Yelenas become

Among 612 notable people named Yelena:

Sports figures appear 1.88× more often than among typical names — e.g. Yelena Slesarenko, athletics competitor.

Similar names: Helena · Astraea · Ilani · Senna · Nyx · Irina

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

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