Helene

French variation of Helen
"bright, shining one"

Helene Origin and Meaning

The name Helene is a girl's name of French origin meaning "bright, shining one".

Whether it's pronounced with an "een" or an "aine" or an "enn" sound at the end, Helene doesn't feel as current the more forthright Helen or the airier Helena. Helene reached a high of Number 228 in the US in 1916, when ene, ine and een names were all the fashion, and stayed in the Top 500 until 1962, making a final exit in 1970. It still ranks well in its native France, and even more in Norway (#70). Model Heidi Klum's daughter 'Leni' has Helene on her birth certificate.

# 943 in the US

Helene Rank in US Top 1000

Helene Popularity

Famous People Named Helene

  • Hélène Louise Henriette
    Princess of Orléans; Duchess of Aosta; daughter of Prince Philippe
  • Hélène Cixous
    French feminist poet, writer and philosopher
  • Helene Emma Madison
    American Olympic swimmer
  • Helene Engelmann
    Austrian figure skater
  • Hélène Grimaud
    French pianist
  • Helene Fischer
    German singer
  • Hélène Conway
    Mouret, French Senator
  • Hélène Flautre
    French MEP
  • Hélène Goudin
    Swedish MEP
  • Hélène LeBlanc
    Canadian MP
  • Hélène Laverdière
    Canadian MP
  • Helene Mayer
    German Olympic fencer
  • Helene Rother
    German auto designer
  • Hélène Joy
    Australian,Canadian actress
  • Helene White
    U.S. federal judge
  • Anna Helene Paquin
    New Zealand actress
  • Helene Boshoven Klum Samuel
    daughter of Heidi Klum and Flavio Briatore
  • Helene Claire Stewart (b. 2013)
    daughter of American actor French Stewart
  • Helene Deconninick
    French rhythmic gymnast

Helene in Pop Culture

  • Also pronounced like Hel
    ay,na
  • Helene Kuragin
    character in Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace"
  • Celeste Marie Helene Dubois
    witch on TV's "The Originals"
  • Helene Aquilla
    character in Sabaa Tahir's "An Ember in the Ashes."