Helena
A girls’ name of Greek origin, meaning bright or shining light.
How Helena has moved
View as table
| Year | US rank |
|---|---|
| 2015 | #535 |
| 2016 | #519 |
| 2017 | #516 |
| 2018 | #458 |
| 2019 | #476 |
| 2020 | #511 |
| 2021 | #512 |
| 2022 | #473 |
| 2023 | #456 |
| 2024 | #414 |
| 2025 | #363 |
Helena by the numbers
In 2025, 131 babies in England and Wales were named Helena. In the US, 600 were, though that figure is from 2017, the most recent full year we hold.
It is used at about the same rate on both sides of the Atlantic.
Its American peak was 623 babies in 2014, making it a 2010s name.
At its height, in 1880, about 1 in 1,600 American girls born that year was called Helena.
Names that come from Helena
Forms of Helena in other languages, names built from it, and names that mean a son or daughter of it. Not always the same sex.
Spelled almost the same
Other names in the records within a letter or two of Helena. Close spellings are not always related names, but they are usually worth seeing together.
- Helenbright, shining light758 in the US (2017)
- Helenebright; shining light32 in the US (2017)
- Helinabright, shining; form of Helen15 in the US (2017)
- Helanatorch; a form of Helen9 in the US (2017)
- Halenabright, shining; form of Helena8 in the US (2017)
- Hellentorch; bright light; a form of Helen79 in the US (2017)
Sounds like Helena
Names that are said the same way as Helena, however they are written. Sounding alike does not mean they share a history.
Other names that mean light
Like Helena, each of these has light in its meaning. Different names, different histories, the same idea.
Names about as common as Helena
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