Given name
Yelena
“the shining light”
In Russian use, Yelena carries the interpretation “the shining light.”
Original RussianЕле́на
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Russian use, Yelena carries the interpretation “the shining light.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Russian.
How it developed
In Russian use, Yelena is used as a form of Helen.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1961. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Yelena 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
Yelena through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,626
- 0 boys · 1,626 girls
- Most popular year
- 2022
- 145 babies
- 2025
- 112
- #1,807 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +135%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 112 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,807 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 134.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (28). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 11,377 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.
Yelena’s family of names
Yelena has an affectionate form in Nelya. Yelena shares a linguistic root with Helen. In English usage, Yelena has a related form in Elena.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Yelena has relatives in 12 languages. Lines run from its Russian roots to each of them.
Russianwhere Yelena comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 28
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 29
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Еле́наRussian
- Elianaequivalent
- Lenaequivalent
- Helenadoublet · English, Latin
- Helencognate
- Alenaequivalent
- Elinaequivalent
- Eleniequivalent
Show 21 moreShow fewer
- Ellenequivalent
- Olenaequivalent
- Ellinaequivalent
- Elionaequivalent
- Alyonaequivalent
- Alionaequivalent
- Ελένηequivalent
- Hélèneequivalent
- Јеленаequivalent
- Helénaequivalent
- Алёнаequivalent
- Аленаequivalent
- Еленаequivalent
- Έλεναequivalent
- Альонаequivalent
- Ἑλένηroot · Ancient Greek
- ОленаUkrainian
- JeļenaLatvian
- エレーナJapanese
- ԵլենաArmenian
- يِلِينَاArabic
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Yelena
- Yelena IsinbayevaRussian female Olympic pole-vaulterborn 1982
- Elena DementievaRussian tennis playerborn 1981
- Elena RybakinaKazakhstani tennis playerborn 1999
- Yelena Bonnerhuman rights activist in the former Soviet Union; wife of dissident Andrei Sakharov1923–2011
- Elena VesninaRussian female tennis playerborn 1986
- Lena KatinaRussian singer, member of the duo t.A.T.uborn 1984
- Yelena SerovaRussian cosmonautborn 1976
- Elena ObraztsovaSoviet and Russian opera singer (1939–2015)1937–2015
- Yelena SlesarenkoRussian athletics competitor (born 1982)
Characters named Yelena: Yelena Belova (fictional character, a spy in the Marvel Comics Universe), Yelena Belova (the Marvel Cinematic Universe).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Yelena, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Safina is a feminine given name from Russian.
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