Helena

Latinate form of Helen, Greek

"torch; shining light"

Helena Origin and Meaning

The name Helena is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "torch; shining light".

Helena is one of those classic names that just misses making the US Top 1000 girl names for its entire history, falling off for a single year in 1992. Since then it's been drifting lazily up the charts, and makes a perfect choice if you want a name that both fits in and stands out.

An airier and more elegant version of Helen, Helena was a favorite of Shakespeare, who used it in both All's Well That Ends Well and A Midsummer's Night Dream.

Historically, Helena was the mother of Constantine the Great (and, supposedly, the daughter of Old King Cole), who became a fourth century saint--Evelyn Waugh wrote his only historical novel, Helena, based on her story.

British star Helena Bonham Carter and Danish model Helena Christensen have done much to keep the name alive, and it is also remembered via beauty mogul Helena Rubinstein. Helena is also the title of a song by the group My Chemical Romance.

Helena is a recommended girls' name for those who find the classic version a bit bland.

HELL-ehn-a is the best modern pronunciation for Helena, but hell-AYN-a or even hell-EEN-a work too.

Helena Rank in US Top 1000

# 456 in the US

Helena Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 94 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Helena

• 456 US 2023
• 94 Nameberry 2025
• 463 Future 2028
• 298 England 2023
• 47 Germany 2024
• 165 Netherlands 2015
• 95 Spain 2023
• 40 Portugal 2020
• 198 Mexico 2021
• 1 Brazil 2024
• 42 Iceland 2018
• 87 Belgium 2023
• 115 Switzerland 2023
• 26 Austria 2023
• 20 Poland 2024
• 73 Chile 2021
• 39 Croatia 2022

20 Names Similar to Helena

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Helena.

• Irene
• Claudia
• Diana
• Rosalind
• Cecilia
• Sylvia
• Felicity
• Esther
• Theodora
• Francesca
• Celia
• Miriam
• Gwendolyn
• Lucia
• Cecily
• Cassandra
• Guinevere
• Estelle
• Veronica
• Vivian

Famous People Named Helena

• Saint Helena (born Flavia Iulia Helena Augusta) Consort of Roman Emperor Constantius Chlorus and mother of Constantine the Great
• Helena Augusta Victoria; Princess of the U.K. Princess Christian of Schleswig,Holstein, daughter of Queen Victoria
• Helena Victoria (Victoria Louise Sophia Augusta Amelia Helena) Princess of Schleswig,Holstein, granddaughter of Queen Victoria
• Helena Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont (Helene Friederike Auguste), Duchess of Albany; daughter,in,law of Queen Victoria
• Helena Adelaide Princess of Schleswig,Holstein,Sonderburg,Glücksburg (Helene Adelheid Viktoria Marie), Princess of Denmark
• Helena of Nassau (Helene Wilhelmine Henriette Pauline Marianne von Nassau Weilburg), Princess consort of Waldeck and Pyrmont
• Helena Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont (Helene Bathildis Charlotte Maria Friederike), Hereditary Grand Duchess of Oldenburg
• Helena Bonham Carter English actress
• Helena Devereux American educator
• Helena Dow American Olympic fencer
• Helena Modjeska Polish,American actress
• Helena Christensen Danish model
• Chaja "Helena" Rubinstein Polish,American beauty mogul
• Helena Mattsson Swedish actress
• Helena Suková Czech tennis player
• Helena Petrovna Blavatsky Russian philosopher
• Helena Ivanovna Roerich Russian philosopher
• (Anni) Helena Takalo Finnish Olympic cross country skier
• Helena queen of Adiabene in the First Century A.D.
• Eleni "Elena/Helena" Paparizou Greek,Swedish singer
• Helena Teresa Góralska Polish politician and economist
• Helena Majdaniec Polish singer
• Halina Poświatowska (born Helena Myga) Polish poet
• Helena Pilejczyk Polish skater
• Helena (born Felicja pseudonym Lena) Wolińska, Polish politician and communist activist
• Helena Grace Rutherford Girsch (b. 2009) daughter of American actress Kelly Rutherford
• Helena Clementine (br. 2019) daughter of singers Flo Morrissey and Benjamin Clementine.

The name Helena in Pop Culture

• "Helena " song by The Misfits
• "Helena " song by My Chemical Romance
• Helena Henstridge the queen of England on TV's "The Royals"
• Helena Harford daughter in movie "Eyes Wide Shut"
• Helena Harper character in the game "Resident Evil 6"
• Helena G. Wells a female version of the author H.G. Wells on TV's "Warehouse 13"
• Helena Peabody character on TV's "The L Word"
• Helena Pierce character in "Borderlands" video game
• Helena Ravenclaw aka the Grey Lady the Ravenclaw house ghost in the Harry Potter series
• Helena Cassadine character on soap "General Hospital"
• Helena a clone on TV's "Orphan Black"
• "Helena " novel by Evelyn Waugh
• Helena Jane character in song "Hollywood's Not America" by Ferras
• "Helena Beat" song by Foster the People
• Helena Montana, USA
• Helena Bertinelli "The Huntress" from DC Comics and TV Series "Arrow"