Elena

eh-LAY-nah, eh-LEN-ah, EL-en-ah

Spanish, Italian, German, Greek variation of Helen

"bright, shining light"

Elena Origin and Meaning

The name Elena is a girl's name of Spanish, Italian, Greek origin meaning "bright, shining light".

Elena is at its most popular point ever in the US, thanks to its cross-cultural appeal and the overall popularity of El- names. It's more international than Ellen or Eleanor, but still accessible.

A pan-European version of Helen, Elena has roots in Spanish, Italian, Slavic, and Romanian, among other languages. Helen, the name from which it derives, came from the Greek word helene, meaning "torch." Alternate spellings include Elaina, Ellena, and Alena.

Elena may be trending, but she's also a solid classic as well as an international favorite. Elena ranks highly in France, Italy, Germany, and Spain along with a host of other countries.

A worthy namesake is Elena Kagan, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, the fourth female to hold that position. Pseudonymous Italian writer Elena Ferrante, author of the Neapolitan Novels, is another famous Elena.

A fictional bearer is Elena Gilbert, protagonist of The Vampire Diaries. and Elena Lincoln is a character in Fifty Shades of Grey. Elena of Avalor is a princess featured in the Disney Junior show of that name.

Read more about Elena and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.

Elena Rank in US Top 1000

# 47 in the US

Elena Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 76 on Nameberry

Elena Popularity

• 47 US 2023
• 76 Nameberry 2024
• 47 Canada 2023
• 26 Future 2028
• 152 England 2021
• 165 Scotland 2023
• 82 Australia 2023
• 45 France 2023
• 51 Germany 2023
• 68 Netherlands 2023
• 29 Italy 2022
• 39 Spain 2022
• 74 Mexico 2021
• 15 Belgium 2023
• 5 Switzerland 2023
• 20 Austria 2023
• 41 Hungary 2023
• 94 Poland 2023
• 40 Estonia 2023
• 46 Slovenia 2023
• 37 Chile 2021
• 71 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2022
• 10 Croatia 2023

20 Names Similar to Elena

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

• Lena
• Eliana
• Helena
• Elise
• Emilia
• Eva
• Aria
• Mira
• Alina
• Mila
• Athena
• Amara
• Clara
• Lucia
• Thea
• Eliza
• Anastasia
• Diana
• Katherine
• Isabella

Famous People Named Elena

• Elena Petrović Njegoš of Montenegro, Queen consort of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and Albania
• Elena Jane "Ellie" Goulding English singer
• Elena Sergeevna "Lena" Katina Russian singer of group t.A.T.u
• Elena Kagan U.S. Supreme Court Justice
• Elena Alexandrovna Likhovtseva Russian tennis player
• Elena Băsescu Romanian MEP
• Elena Ferrante penname of an unknown Italian novelist
• Elena Gant reality TV personality from "Little Women: LA"
• Elena Goode American actress
• Elena María Isabel Dominica de Silos de Borbón y de Grecia Infanta of Spain; Duchess of Lugo; daughter of Juan Carlos I
• Elena Princess of Romania; daughter of Michael I
• Elena Delle Donne American basketball player
• Elena Bibescu Romanian princess and pianist
• Elena Olegovna Bovina Russian tennis player
• Elena Radionova Russian figure skater
• Elena Sergeevna Baltacha Ukrainian,British tennis player
• Elena Slivnyak fashion designer and former "Project Runway" contestant
• Elena Vesnina Russian tennis player
• Elena Viatcheslavovna Dementieva Russian tennis player
• Eleni "Elena" Paparizou Greek,Swedish singer
• Elena Eremina Russian gymnast
• Elena Arenas American gymnast
• Elena Neill (b. 1991) daughter of actor Sam Neill
• Elena Kitic (b. 1998) daughter of Serbian stars Mile Kitic & Marta Savic
• Elena Bineva Bulgarian rhythmic gymnast
• Elena Kong Hong,Kong actress

Elena in Pop Culture

• Elena Gilbert character in The Vampire Diaries series
• Elena "Helene" Vasilyevna Kuragina character from Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace
• Elena Castillo Flores of Avalor Disney Princess on animated series "Elena of Avalor"
• Elena Houghlin character in 2019's "Charlie's Angels"
• Elena Tyler character on TV's "Felicity"
• Elena Ramos character on TV's "Dallas"
• Elena Fisher character in the video game 'Uncharted'
• Elena Lincoln character in the Fifty Shades of Grey series
• Godmother Elena main character in "The Fairy Godmother"
• Elena Daemon Spade's lover in the series, 'Katekyo Hitman Reborn!'
• Elena character in the game 'Final Fantasy VII'
• Elena Derevko character on TV's Alias
• Elena "Yo Yo" Rodriguez, character on TV's "Agents of SHIELD"
• Elena character in the Street Fighter video games
• Elena Greco heroine and narrator of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels
• Elena Galathynius Havilliard half,fae Queen from the Throne of Glass novels
• Elena Antonov Michaels Danvers main character in Kelley Armstrong "Women of the Otherworld"
• Elena Alvarez character in Netflix's "One Day At A Time"