Ilona
Ilona was the 3861st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 38 babies. Its best year was 1946, when it ranked 821st with 102 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 238 places. More babies were named Ilona in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Elaina) variant of Elaine (Helen) · Greek, French
- Rank in 2025
- #3,861 girls, up 1,361 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 38girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1946102 babies
- Total since 1880
- 3,332babies recorded
What does the name Ilona mean?
Ilona is a spelling of Elaina, pronounced the same way, so it shares Elaina's meaning and origin.
Elaina is a modern spelling variant of Elaine, according to Wiktionary. Elaine is the Old French form of Helen that spread through the Arthurian romances, as DMNES notes in its Ellen entry. Helen goes back to Greek Helenē, whose ultimate origin is uncertain; the often-repeated link with Greek words for "torch" or "light" is not established. Elaina, like Elena and Alaina, is mainly a 20th-century American spelling.
Ἑλένη (Ancient Greek, “Helen (origin uncertain)”)
How sure is this? Well established. Elaina as a variant of Elaine is clear; the meaning of the root name Helen is uncertain.
Other explanations you may read: Helen means 'light' or 'torch'.
Related names: Elaine, Elena, Alaina, Helen.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Elaina', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Ellen', DMNES, Durham University
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Ilona popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,861 | 38 |
| 2020 | #5,222 | 24 |
| 2010 | #5,160 | 27 |
| 2000 | #4,453 | 27 |
| 1990 | #3,655 | 29 |
| 1980 | #3,543 | 23 |
| 1970 | #2,058 | 40 |
| 1960 | #1,937 | 35 |
| 1950 | #1,086 | 72 |
| 1940 | #824 | 75 |
| 1930 | #2,760 | 11 |
| 1920 | #3,768 | 8 |
| 1910 | #2,268 | 6 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Ilona, counting every spelling?
Ilona is a spelling of Elaina, a name family that ranked #225 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #3,861 for Ilona on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,536 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elaina | 1,176 | #267 | 6,005 |
| Elayna | 171 | #1,301 | 880 |
| Ilana | 71 | #2,496 | 419 |
| Eleina | 33 | #4,287 | 156 |
| Ilona | 38 | #3,861 | 124 |
| Ellaina | 10 | #9,635 | 81 |
| Elainna | 10 | #9,629 | 44 |
| Elainah | 6 | #13,677 | 34 |
| Ellayna | 5 | #15,574 | 32 |
| Elaena | 7 | #12,262 | 32 |
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 Ilona?
38 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Ilona (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Ilona 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 221 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Ilona.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Ilona?
About 2,500 people born in the US named Ilona are alive today, with a median age of 55; half are between 24 and 73. That makes Ilona mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Ilona: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Ilona, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Ilona
What does Ilona mean?
Ilona is a spelling of Elaina, which means “variant of Elaine (Helen)” (Greek, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Ilona?
Ilona was the 3861st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 38 babies. Its best year was 1946, when it ranked 821st with 102 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 238 places. More babies were named Ilona in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Is Ilona a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Ilona in the US.