Given name
Yalena
“the shining light”
In Greek use, Yalena carries the interpretation “the shining light.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Greek use, Yalena carries the interpretation “the shining light.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
Yalena is used as a form of Helen.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2001. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Yalena is a 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
Yalena through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 220
- 0 boys · 220 girls
- Most popular year
- 2016
- 15 babies
- 2025
- 9
- #10,883 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −37%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 9 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 10,883 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 15 in 2016. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 217 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Yalena’s family of names
Yalena is a form of Helen. Yalena has a related form in Yalina. Yalena has a related form in Yalana.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 15
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
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