Given name & surname
Helen
“the shining light”
In English use, Helen has a related form in Ellen. In English use, Ellen carries the interpretation “the shining light.”
Original GreekΈλενα
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Helen has a related form in Ellen. In English use, Ellen carries the interpretation “the shining light.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Greek, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
In Estonian usage, Helen is a short form of Helena. In English usage, Helen developed from the Latin form Helena.
The story
The name’s historical associations include the mother of the Emperor Constantine.
Helen through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,027,307
- 3,105 boys · 1,024,202 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 36,228 babies
- 2025
- 668
- #462 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −4%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 668 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 462 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 4.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 36,148 in 1918. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (68). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 280,357 as a first name in 2020; 504 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Helen’s family of names
In Norwegian usage, Helen has a short form in Eli. In English usage, Helen shares an earlier linguistic root with Elaine. In English usage, Helen has a related form in Ellen.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Helen has relatives in 45 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
Ancient Greekwhere Helen comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 39
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Elishort form · Norwegian
- Lenashort form · Breton
- Helenavariant · English, Dutch
- Elleshort form · Estonian
- Nelliediminutive · English
- Elinavariant · Estonian
- Ellenvariant · English
- Elenidiminutive · English
Show 31 moreShow fewer
- Nelldiminutive · English
- Hellenvariant
- Helenevariant · Norwegian, Danish
- Ilonavariant · English, Hungarian
- Halinavariant
- Helainavariant
- Helinavariant
- Hellenavariant
- Helanavariant
- Helonvariant · English
- Heleenvariant · Dutch
- Hellavariant
- Helivariant
- Hellenevariant
- Helenannvariant
- Heleanavariant
- Helennavariant
- Heleenavariant
- Helainevariant · Old French
- Leneshort form
- Helisvariant · Estonian
- Heldiminutive · English
- Hellevariant
- Helievariant
- Hellivariant
- Helliavariant
- Hellenorvariant
- Helenorevariant
- Heleanorvariant
- Heleyvariant
- Helenkavariant
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 61
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- ΈλεναGreek
- ΕλένηGreek
- Ἑλένηroot · Ancient Greek
- Elenacognate · Italian, Spanish
- Elainedoublet · English
- Lanarelated form
- Alenaequivalent
- Ilianarelated form
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- Leannarelated form
- Leenaequivalent
- AleynaTurkish
- Nellyrelated form · English
- Yelenacognate
- ElinFaroese
- Aleenrelated form
- Ileanasee also · Romanian
- Jelenadoublet · English, izh
- Olenacognate · izh
- Eilidhcognate · Scottish Gaelic
- Yalenarelated form
- Alenkaequivalent
- Jelaequivalent
- Lenkaequivalent
- ElieneDutch
- Lénaequivalent
- Jeļenaequivalent
- Lenuțaequivalent
- Lenkeequivalent
- Helkaequivalent
- ܗܠܢܐequivalent
- Єленаequivalent
- Геленаequivalent
- هيلانةequivalent
- Аленаequivalent
- Оленаequivalent
- Eayleeequivalent
- Elinneequivalent
- ЕленаRussian
- 海倫borrowing · Chinese
- Hélèneroot · French
- Helēnacognate · Latvian
- Helicerelated form
- Heirninerelated form
- еленequivalent
- Јеленаequivalent
- Эленequivalent
- 헬레나Korean
- ElínIcelandic
- АлёнаRussian
- АльонаUkrainian
- HelenoEsperanto
- ელენეGeorgian
- Лелюкmns-nor
- ЕлінаUkrainian
- ՀեղինէClassical Armenian
- ՀեղինեArmenian
- HelénaHungarian
- HelénHungarian
- Heanacognate
- Hélénecognate
And 1 more.
See also 6
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Helen
- Helen KellerAmerican deafblind author, political activist, lecturer, scholar (1880-1968)
- Helen MirrenBritish actress (born 1945)
- Beatrix PotterBritish children's writer and illustrator (1866–1943)
- Helen ClarkPrime Minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008born 1950
- Helen HuntAmerican actressborn 1963
- Helen HayesAmerican actress (1900–1993)
- Helen McCroryBritish actress (1968–2021)
- Jo CoxBritish politician (1974–2016)
- Helen FieldingEnglish novelist and screenwriter (born 1958)
Characters named Helen: Elastigirl (the Incredibles series), Helen Lovejoy (The Simpsons character), Helen Magnus (main character of the Sanctuary TV show).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
- People who changed the world
- Straight-cut feminine names
- Most Popular Names of the 1930s
- Most Popular Names of the 1920s
- Most Popular Names of the 1910s
- Most Popular Names of the 1900s
- Most Popular Names of the 1890s
- Philosophers
- Psychologists
- Masterpiece Theatre Names
- Classic Names
- British Authors
- Mythological Characters
- Triathletes
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