Yelena

Yelena is a Russian form of Helen, the Greek name associated with Helen of Troy. The name family is traditionally linked with brightness or a torch, although its oldest derivation is uncertain. Yelena preserves that long name history in a form shaped by Russian language and spelling.

Elena is another Latin-alphabet rendering of the same Russian name; the initial Ye helps indicate the opening sound to English readers. Lena is a familiar shortening, giving the name an everyday form also recognizable in several other languages. These spellings make Yelena useful for families connecting a Russian-speaking relative with an English-speaking setting without replacing the name with a wholly unrelated choice.