Helena

Helena is a form of Helen, traditionally associated with a torch or shining light, although the earliest etymology is uncertain. Its added final vowel gives it a different rhythm from Helen. The name has a long history in religious, literary, and royal settings.

Shakespeare uses Helena in both A Midsummer Night’s Dream and All’s Well That Ends Well. Saint Helena, the mother of Constantine, provides another historical association. Lena and Nell are possible short forms. English-speaking families vary in how they stress and pronounce Helena, so a preferred sound is worth introducing rather than assuming the spelling settles it.