Meaning and origin
Elena belongs to the Helen family, whose oldest meaning is uncertain. The Greek name Helene is probably connected with a word meaning “torch,” although a relationship with Selene, meaning “moon,” has also been proposed. Elena shares that older history while developing its own forms of use across many languages.
It is familiar in Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Greek, and several other European languages. Elena can also represent the Russian name more commonly written Yelena in English. Its international reach gives the same spelling several different sounds and local traditions.
The wider family includes both Helen of Greek mythology and Saint Helena, the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine. Those classical and Christian connections helped carry related forms through European history, long before Elena’s recent rise in American popularity.
Pronunciation and familiar forms
English speakers use both EL-uh-nuh and uh-LAY-nuh. Spanish and Romanian pronunciation is closer to eh-LEH-na, while Italian places the emphasis at the beginning, approximately EH-leh-na. Russian pronunciation is commonly represented by yeh-LYEH-na.
Lena, Ella, Elle, Ellie, and Nell are familiar forms associated with English Elena. Other language traditions have their own short forms, including Russian Lena and Alyona and Czech Lenka. Helena, Ileana, Jelena, Elina, and Greek Eleni are related forms within the wider family.
These differences are part of Elena’s history rather than a single pronunciation being used everywhere. The spelling remains recognizable across languages even when the first vowel, stress, or final syllable changes.
Elena Kagan
Elena Kagan gives the name a prominent association with American public life. Her education included Princeton University, where she received her undergraduate degree in 1981, the University of Oxford, where she earned an M.Phil. in 1983, and Harvard Law School, where she received her law degree in 1986.
Early in her career, she clerked for federal appellate judge Abner Mikva and then for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. She later taught at the University of Chicago and Harvard Law School, serving as Harvard’s law dean from 2003 to 2009.
Kagan served as solicitor general of the United States from 2009 to 2010. President Barack Obama nominated her to the Supreme Court in May 2010, and she took the judicial oath on August 7 that year. Her career connects Elena with legal education, government service, and the Court.
Popularity in the United States
Elena has risen strongly among American girls in recent years. It ranked number 106 in 2015 and number 55 in 2020, then reached number 42 in 2025.
In 2025, 4,836 girls received the name, its largest annual count and highest rank in the available records. Helen, Helena, and the other related forms have separate entries.
Sources & methodologyReferences, data & attribution
Meaning and history draw on the references below. American popularity figures use published Social Security Administration records for this exact spelling; counts below five for a name, sex, and year are omitted.
How popular is Elena?
In 2025, Elena ranked #42 among girls in the United States, with 4,836 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1880; its largest annual count was 4,836 in 2025. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.