Elen

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Girl · Greek, through Welsh

Elen

Say it: EH-len

Try it with your surname

Meaning

Welsh form of Helen; the Greek name's meaning is unknown.

Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.

Its wave through time

Rare in the records

In the United States

355 babies given this name since 1911
At its height in 1911, about 1 in 59,800 girls
7 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

The family of the name

Other spellings: Elin

English	Helen
Scottish Gaelic	Eilidh

Famous bearers

Elen Luyddog, heroine of The Dream of Macsen Wledig

Names worth a look

IsoldeGirlUncertain. Often linked to a Welsh or Germanic root, but scholars disagree.Middle Ages

AngharadGirlFrom the intensive prefix an-, câr 'love' and the suffix -ad: 'much loved'.Middle Ages

GwladysGirlUncertain; derived either from gwlad 'country, land' or as a Welsh form of Latin Claudia.Early Medieval · forgotten

GwenllianGirlFrom gwen 'white, fair, blessed' and a second element usually read as lliant 'flood, flow', which is uncertain.Middle Ages · forgotten

GwenhwyfarGirlFrom gwen 'white, fair, holy' and a second element often linked to sebarā 'phantom, magical being'; the analysis is…Middle Ages · forgotten

NestGirlUncertain; usually treated as a Welsh pet form of Agnes, though this is not proven.Middle Ages · forgotten

EleanorGirlFrom Occitan Aliénor, of uncertain origin; it is often explained as alia Aenor 'the other Aenor', but this is not…Middle Ages · peak 1915

EllenGirlThe English vernacular form of Helen, from Greek Helenē, of uncertain meaning.Middle Ages · peak 1884

Where this comes from

Early Welsh tales, poetry and genealogies
National birth statistics of European countries source
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.