Given name & surname
Lene
“one who has soft and silky skin”·“the shining light”
Lene is a variant of Lenis. One Latin interpretation is “one who has soft and silky skin.” In German and Danish use, Lene is a variant of Lena. In German use, Lena carries the interpretation “the shining light.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Lene is a variant of Lenis. One Latin interpretation is “one who has soft and silky skin.” In German and Danish use, Lene is a variant of Lena. In German use, Lena carries the interpretation “the shining light.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Lene is a variant of Lenis. An origin associated with Lenis is Latin. Lene is a short form of Helen. A possible origin is Greek, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
Lene is a short form of Magdalene.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1949. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Lene is a short form of Helen. The history of Helen gives this family its wider story. Helen’s historical associations include the mother of the Emperor Constantine.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Lene through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 277
- 0 boys · 277 girls
- Most popular year
- 1967
- 13 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2013. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 13 in 1967. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 637 as a first name in 2020; 376 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.
Lene’s family of names
Lene is a short form of Helen. Lene has a related form in Lena. In Danish usage, Lene has a conventional equivalent in the English form Lena.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Lene has relatives in 3 languages.
2 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 22
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Lene
- Lene HauDanish physicistborn 1959
- Lene MarlinNorwegian musicianborn 1980
- Lene NystrømNorwegian musician (1973-)
- Lene RantalaDanish handball playerborn 1968
- Lene EspersenDanish politicianborn 1965
- Lene LovichAmerican singerborn 1949
- Lene MykjålandNorwegian footballerborn 1987
- Lene AlexandraNorwegian singer and modelborn 1981
- Lene BrøndumDanish actressborn 1947
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Lene, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kolene
“one who is pure; virginal”
>99% girls
Latanja
“daughter of the fairy queen”
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Kandie
“a queen” · “one who is white and glowing”
>99% girls
Brend
“a princess; wielding a sword”
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Quenna
“a woman sovereign”
>99% girls
Lanora
“the shining light”
>99% girls
Kimmi
“of the royal fortress”
>99% girls
Kenda
“from the royal valley”
>99% girls