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Mostly girls · Spanish, Italian, German, Greek variation of Helen

Elena

“bright, shining light”

Say it eh-LAY-nuh (common English); varies by languagePronunciation may vary by region.

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A little maybe, saved for later.

The story behind the name

Meet Elena.

Elena is a form of Helen used in several European languages. The name family is traditionally associated with brightness or a shining light, although the precise ancient derivation is not completely certain.

Elaina, Ellena and Alena are related spellings. Pronunciation varies across languages, so families choosing Elena may want to make their preferred vowel sounds clear rather than assume there is only one correct version.

5 lettersGerman origins ↗Greek origins ↗Italian origins ↗Spanish origins ↗

A little perspective

How popular is Elena?

United States · 2025
Girls · 2025#424,836 recorded births
Boys · 2025#11,0436 recorded births

Recorded US births over time

201420254,8360
● Girls● Boys
View the numbers behind the chart
YearCategoryUS rankBirths
2025Boys11,0436
2025Girls424,836
2024Girls464,577
2023Girls474,276
2022Girls494,290
2021Girls534,283
2020Girls553,930
2019Girls603,949
2018Girls673,776
2017Boys12,8405
2017Girls683,882
2016Girls943,190
2015Girls1062,898
2014Girls1212,616

Rankings are calculated separately for boys and girls. Records below the publication threshold may be missing; gaps are not zero births.

A few ways to make it theirs.

Nicknames

Lena

Variations & related forms

ElainaEllena

Keep the possibilities coming

If you love Elena…

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