Elena Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, Girl Names Like Elena

Elena Name Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: el-ay-nah
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Elena Name Meaning

With a meaning like “shining light,” it’s no surprise that parents are loving Elena. A variant of Helen, Elena hails from Greek roots. She’s a beautiful pick with depth and history, worn by actresses, opera singers, and more.

A mature pick with a girlish side, Elena easily overcomes the aging obstacle. She avoids the cutesy vibes seen with some names as well as the matronly feel of others. She’s mature enough for the boardroom yet light enough for a little one playing dolls. She also comes with a few nicknames to wear throughout life like Elle, Ellie, and Lena.

Elena is very much a sweet spot name, remaining a familiar face that’s not too popular. She’s easy to say and pronounce, a simple choice for parents looking for something common but not overused. Some other names in this category include Vanessa and Cara.

Elena offers a flexibility that’s rare in names, blending in various backgrounds with ease. She isn’t restricted in any way, fitting in a variety of styles. She can easily be seen as classic or modern, especially if the nickname Lanie is used. Elena is also a great way to honor an Elaine or Elizabeth in your life.

As E names for girls continue to dot the charts, Elena is in great company. She’s also part of the El- name trend seen with Eliana and Ella.

Elena Name Popularity

How popular is the name Elena? Here’s everything we know.

Year	Rank	# Births	% Births
1910	498	31	0.0088%
1911	402	60	0.0161%
1912	513	50	0.0099%
1913	472	72	0.0127%
1914	472	93	0.0133%
1915	494	117	0.0129%
1916	498	126	0.013%
1917	511	125	0.0125%
1918	469	158	0.0147%
1919	526	129	0.0123%
1920	527	136	0.0122%
1921	467	174	0.0152%
1922	479	162	0.0145%
1923	474	169	0.0151%
1924	478	168	0.0145%
1925	460	178	0.0157%
1926	442	187	0.017%
1927	454	188	0.017%
1928	423	209	0.0195%
1929	471	158	0.0153%
1930	451	169	0.0162%
1931	472	144	0.0146%
1932	455	159	0.0161%
1933	482	130	0.014%
1934	479	135	0.014%
1935	529	104	0.0107%
1936	497	124	0.0129%
1937	536	108	0.011%
1938	524	123	0.012%
1939	580	88	0.0087%
1940	590	95	0.0089%
1941	485	157	0.0139%
1942	519	157	0.0124%
1943	492	179	0.0137%
1944	477	180	0.0145%
1945	490	169	0.0139%
1946	503	199	0.0135%
1947	541	197	0.0118%
1948	480	236	0.0148%
1949	510	205	0.0127%
1950	508	216	0.0134%
1951	507	216	0.0127%
1952	520	220	0.0126%
1953	496	258	0.0146%
1954	488	290	0.0159%
1955	451	354	0.0192%
1956	502	304	0.0161%
1957	466	369	0.0192%
1958	457	393	0.0208%
1959	488	351	0.0185%
1960	474	387	0.0204%
1961	501	336	0.0178%
1962	472	374	0.0204%
1963	439	434	0.0242%
1964	440	446	0.0253%
1965	447	409	0.025%
1966	410	470	0.0301%
1967	416	460	0.0303%
1968	441	424	0.0282%
1969	422	479	0.0311%
1970	445	453	0.0285%
1971	421	456	0.0303%
1972	405	441	0.0324%
1973	448	376	0.029%
1974	385	498	0.0383%
1975	402	463	0.036%
1976	399	471	0.0365%
1977	391	491	0.0364%
1978	373	529	0.0393%
1979	365	581	0.0412%
1980	368	596	0.0408%
1981	375	587	0.0399%
1982	376	570	0.0381%
1983	395	517	0.035%
1984	403	486	0.0327%
1985	325	700	0.0461%
1986	368	601	0.0398%
1987	390	558	0.0366%
1988	403	554	0.0356%
1989	353	689	0.0427%
1990	359	706	0.0426%
1991	354	695	0.0426%
1992	336	763	0.0478%
1993	324	782	0.0502%
1994	299	882	0.0575%
1995	296	908	0.0602%
1996	304	902	0.0602%
1997	296	942	0.0637%
1998	278	1,097	0.0733%
1999	211	1,452	0.097%
2000	236	1,336	0.0875%
2001	228	1,373	0.0911%
2002	234	1,327	0.0886%
2003	222	1,443	0.0949%
2004	215	1,563	0.1025%
2005	217	1,587	0.1038%
2006	187	1,852	0.1183%
2007	193	1,725	0.1093%
2008	209	1,607	0.104%
2009	196	1,653	0.1106%
2010	163	1,867	0.1296%
2011	160	1,922	0.1349%
2012	139	2,249	0.1578%
2013	132	2,385	0.1675%
2014	121	2,603	0.1787%
2015	106	2,882	0.1981%
2016	94	3,172	0.22%
2017	68	3,857	0.2763%
2018	66	3,748	0.2728%
2019	60	3,911	0.2889%
2020	55	3,844	0.302%
2021	52	4,014	0.3284%
2022	49	4,266	0.3234%

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Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Elena

If you like Elena, you’ll love these other names like Elena.

What names are diminutives of Elena?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Elena sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Elena, but shorter.

Name	Meaning	Origin
El	Sun ray, shining light	Greek
Ella	Other goddess	Hebrew
Elle	She	French
Ellie	Shortened form of El- names	English
Laney	Path, roadway	English
Lena	Woman from Magdala	Hebrew

What names are variants of Elena?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Elena.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Alena	Tower	Russian
Elaina	Shining light	Greek
Elaine	Sun ray, shining light	Greek
Elana	Tree	Hebrew
Eleana	God has answered; tree	Hebrew
Eleena	Sun ray, shining light	Greek
Elen	Light	Greek
Elene	Sun ray, shining light	Greek

Eleni	Sun ray, shining light	Greek
Elina	Sun ray, shining light	Greek
Ellena	Man's defender; sun ray, shining light	Greek
Elona	Oak tree; light	Hungarian
Ilena		English

What names sound like Elena?

If you like how Elena sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Elena.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Aleah	Rising, ascending	Hebrew
Elizabeth	God is my oath	Hebrew
Elodie	Marsh flower	Greek
Elora	Sun ray, shining light	Greek
Elspeth	An exotic variant of Elizabeth.	Scottish
Helena	Sun ray, shining light	Greek

What names are similar to Elena?

Find a name that’s like Elena, but just a little bit different.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Alexa	Defender of man	Greek
Alexandra	Defender of man	Greek
Diana	Heavenly and divine	Latin
Gemma	Precious stone	Italian

Juniper	Juniper tree	English
Lucille	Of the light	French
Luna	The moon	Latin
Nora	Honorable one	Latin
Penelope	Weaver	Greek
Sophia	Wisdom	Greek

Lists With Elena

Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Elena.

Siblings of Elena

Mamas with kids named Elena also have kids with these names.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Robert	Bright fame	German
Nikola
Elisa	God's promise	Hebrew
Esperanza	Hope	Spanish
Christopher	Bearing Christ	English
Stefanie	Crown, garland	Greek
Damon	One who tames, subdues	Greek
Ezekiel	God will strengthen	Hebrew
Ella	Other goddess	Hebrew

Share Your Thoughts

23 Comments

Crystal Oct 7 at 8:44 am

Pretty

Reply
Ivy+Covarrubias Oct 3 at 11:52 am

I chose Elena because I was a huge Vampire diaries fan and I loved that character in the show, she was so beautiful and everyone loved and cared for her so I chose to give that name to my little girl ?

Reply
Crystal Sep 22 at 7:12 am

Just thought it was a pretty name

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Tiffany Aug 15 at 9:08 pm

Vampire diaries

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I'm also a Elena Apr 25 at 5:53 pm

Elena is the best name ever!

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Jessica Feb 12 at 9:27 am

Grandma’s name and love the sound and meaning (light ?)

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Elena Nov 10 at 6:54 am

My name is Elena too and I think its beautiful!! Go Elena’s

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Kat Nov 3 at 11:21 am

Elena is a European version of Helen which I prefer the sound of. It evokes light and is a soft and feminine classic name. But we also use Alyona as a nickname!

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Serena Aug 23 at 12:30 pm

She is named after my grandma Elaine. We call her Ellie.

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Jabneel May 23 at 7:16 am

Our first born was named Esperanza and so my husband wanted to continue the easy and I wanted to continue it being on the Spanish side. Our first daughter’s name met hope and we wanted another spiritual application type name and Elena means joy and mercy.

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Elena Apr 21 at 12:46 am

I absolutely love my name! Matches my personality!

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- Elena May 15 at 2:41 pm
  
  Hello my name is Elena and I love my name too it is perfect and in my family I am the only one with the initials initials EME! (: ?
  
  Reply
Laura Apr 16 at 10:08 am

It’s always been my favourite name! I love how it sounds

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Ashley Mar 16 at 7:24 am

Elena June Vee. Named after all of her grandmothers. Elena is my grandmas name in Spanish. She was born on her birthday, and they both weighed the same at birth. 11 lbs! They’ll have a joint birthday party this year as my grandma turns 90, and Elena turns 1! June is my mothers name. And Vee is short for her other grandma.

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Alma Harp Feb 11 at 8:56 am

Easy to pronounce in English and Spanish.

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Jessica Sep 27 at 9:12 am

Elena means bright light

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Haimie Apr 19 at 6:07 am

It’s a beautiful name

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Carly Mar 31 at 10:28 am

My husband and I chose Elena because it means “shining light” or “bright one”. When we were trying to conceive, I prayed for a little beacon of light for our family and to add to this world so it seemed only fitting. Plus there are plenty of adorable nickname options!

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Jessica Mar 10 at 1:47 pm

I named Elena after my mom who passed away.

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- Elena Apr 22 at 6:13 pm
  
  My name is Elena since I’m From Croatia I’m really happy to have this name and btw,I’m 9 yrs old
  
  Reply
Michelle Jun 24 at 11:06 am

It’s a spin off the name of my grandmother Elaine who was very special to me and I’ve always wanted to name my daughter after her in some way. I like that Elena is not real common and its also very simple and sweet. The Hebrew translation and meaning is shining light and is pronounced as eh-LEH-nah.

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Chiara Jun 8 at 3:12 pm

My great aunts name was Elaine and I wanted to name my daughter after her with a more modernized version. So I chose Elena to honor my great aunt and have a name that isn’t so common today.

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Laura Apr 11 at 9:32 pm

We picked the name Elena Renee for my daughter because we loved the meaning of the name , shining light and Renee is my middle name. She lived up to this name on the day of her birth. After a long hard labor through night, she was my joy that came in the morning with the light as she was starting to be born! But we suffered complications and she went into distress and had to be delivered quickly and forcefully! She was able to be Resuscitated and saved, thus living up to her middle name Renee, born again! We call her Laney for short. She is a strong girl with a content and sweet personality!

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Elena