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🦋 RareGirl nameGreek

Helena

“Bright, shining light”

3 syllables · 6 letters

About the name Helena

Helena is the elongated, faintly Slavic cousin of Helen, and the extra syllable turns a brisk classic into something more ceremonial. It splits opinion on stress, with British speakers favoring the first syllable and much of Europe the second.

Helena is a girl name of Greek origin, pronounced HEL-uh-nuh. On the NameRarity scale it scores 56 out of 100, which places it in the rare band — recognisable but seldom used. Distinctive without needing to be spelled out twice. Its strongest period was the 1900s.

Associated with
luminousreservedintelligentgracious

Name facts at a glance

Meaning
Bright, shining light
Origin
Greek
Gender
Girl
Pronunciation
HEL-uh-nuh
Syllables
3
Letters
6
US rank
#400
Peak era
1900s
Rarity
56 / 100
Per million
~58
Starts with
H
Numerology
9 · The Humanitarian

How popular is Helena?

Popularity44/100
Rarity56/100

Helena sits at approximately #400 in recent US rankings. Roughly 58 people per million carry it — about 1 in 17,241. In a school of 1,000 pupils you would expect not to find a single one.

Famous people named Helena

  • Helena Bonham Carter
    English actress
  • Helena Rubinstein
    Polish-American cosmetics entrepreneur

Spellings and variants of Helena

HelenElenaIlonaJelena

Names similar to Helena

Popular

Elena

eh-LAY-nah

Torch, shining light

Greek27% rare
Rare

Regina

reh-JEE-nah

Queen

Latin66% rare
Rare

Sabina

suh-BEE-nah

Bright, beautiful; used in Nepal as a modern given name

Nepali68% rare
Very Rare

Yolanda

yoh-LAN-dah

Violet flower

Greek81% rare
Very Rare

Ahana

uh-HAA-naa

First light of dawn, inner radiance

Sanskrit79% rare
Ultra Rare

Bryony

BRY-uh-nee

A climbing vine

Greek91% rare
Rare

Dorothy

DOR-uh-thee

Gift of God

Greek70% rare
Very Popular

Eleanor

ELL-uh-nor

Shining light, uncertain origin

Old French14% rare
Browse all 1,284 names →

Helena — frequently asked questions

What does the name Helena mean?

Helena means "Bright, shining light". It is a name of Greek origin, most often given to a girl.

How do you pronounce Helena?

Helena is pronounced HEL-uh-nuh, with 3 syllables.

How rare is the name Helena?

Helena scores 56 out of 100 on the NameRarity scale, which makes it rare. Roughly 1 in every 17,241 people carry it — about 58 per million.

What is the numerology number for Helena?

Helena carries the expression number 9, known as The Humanitarian. Its soul urge number is 11 and its personality number is 7.

What is the lucky number and lucky colour for Helena?

The lucky number for Helena is 9 (with 18, 27, 36 also favourable), and its lucky colour is Coral Flame. The traditional lucky day is Tuesday and the associated gemstone is Bloodstone.

Is Helena a popular name?

Helena currently sits around rank #400 in the United States, and its strongest period was the 1900s.