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Girl · Greek, through Latin
Elena
Say it: EL-eh-nuh
Meaning
A form of Helen, from Greek Helenē; the meaning is uncertain, and the popular 'torch' or 'light' link is unproven.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
In medieval English records Elena is the usual Latin spelling behind the spoken names Ellen and Elyn.
Its wave through time
Rising now
In the United States
- 85,756 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 2020, about 1 in 410 girls
- 3,904 babies in 2020
Through the ages
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
- The Renaissance1400 to 1600
- Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Elene, Elyn
| Italian | Elena |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Elena |
| Greek | Eleni |
| Russian | Yelena |
| English | Helen |
| French | Hélène |
Famous bearers
- Elena Cornaro Piscopia, first woman to receive a university doctorate
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- English poll taxes and lay subsidy rolls (13th and 14th centuries)
- Medieval European charters and records
- Ancient Greek literature and history (Homer, Herodotus, Plutarch and others)
- Medieval and Renaissance Italian records, such as the Florentine tax survey of 1427
- 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.