Helen
Helen was the 462nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 668 babies. Its best year was 1900, when it ranked 2nd; the most babies were born in 1918 (36,148). Over the last ten years it has moved down 43 places. More babies were named Helen in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Greek
Say it HEL-un /ˈhɛlən/
- Rank in 2025
- #462 girls, down 36 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 668girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 191836,148 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,027,307babies recorded
What does the name Helen mean?
Helen is the English form of Greek Helenē, the name of Helen of Troy in Homer's Iliad. DMNES states the ultimate root is uncertain. Explanations from Greek helenē, "torch", or from the root of helios, "sun", are often repeated but not established. Christian use came from Saint Helena, mother of the emperor Constantine.
Ἑλένη (Ancient Greek, “Helen (root uncertain)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. DMNES calls the root uncertain.
Other explanations you may read: means 'torch' or 'light'.
Related names: Helena, Ellen, Elena, Elaine, Eleni.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Helen', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Ellen', DMNES, Durham University
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Helen', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Nicknames for Helen
The usual nicknames for Helen are Nell, Nellie and Lena. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Helen in the last five years, 160 were named Lena, against 63 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nell · also for Eleanor, Penelope, Helena | Traditional | #1,628 | 617 |
| Nellie · also for Eleanor, Ellen, Nell | Traditional | #533 | 2,475 |
| Lena · also for Elena, Helena, Magdalena | Traditional | #279 | 5,792 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Helens go by each one.
Helen popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 3,105 since 1881.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #462 | 668 |
| 2020 | #426 | 721 |
| 2010 | #436 | 705 |
| 2000 | #345 | 891 |
| 1990 | #317 | 863 |
| 1980 | #272 | 914 |
| 1970 | #191 | 1,718 |
| 1960 | #117 | 4,071 |
| 1950 | #50 | 7,061 |
| 1940 | #18 | 10,203 |
| 1930 | #4 | 19,913 |
| 1920 | #3 | 35,097 |
| 1910 | #2 | 10,479 |
| 1900 | #2 | 6,342 |
| 1890 | #12 | 2,312 |
| 1880 | #35 | 636 |
How popular is Helen, counting every spelling?
Helen is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #420 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #462 for Helen on its own. Together these spellings went to 780 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helen | 668 | #462 | 3,626 |
| Hellen | 112 | #1,800 | 543 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Helen?
668 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Helen (0.19 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Helen born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 13 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Helen.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Helen?
About 200,000 people born in the US named Helen are alive today, with a median age of 73; half are between 58 and 83. That makes Helen a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Helen by state
How common Helen was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (3.8×), Maryland (2.6×), Virginia (2.2×), Alabama (1.8×), Arkansas (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Idaho, Oklahoma, Nevada.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Helen: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Helen, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Helen · Sibling names for Helen
Questions about the name Helen
What does Helen mean?
The origin of Helen is uncertain: DMNES calls the root uncertain.
How popular is the name Helen?
Helen was the 462nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 668 babies. Its best year was 1900, when it ranked 2nd; the most babies were born in 1918 (36,148). Over the last ten years it has moved down 43 places. More babies were named Helen in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Helen a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Helen in the US.
Where is Helen most popular?
In 2021–2025, Helen was most common in District of Columbia (1.69 per 1,000 girls), followed by Maryland and Virginia.