Elena

♂ Boy

Pronounced eh-LAY-nah /ɛˈleɪ.nə/Medium

Meaning: From Elena, the Greek/Slavic/Italian form of Helen, 'torch; bright, shining light.' It is overwhelmingly a girl's name; used here for a boy, we flag the cross-sex lean clearly and plainly.Low

In 30 seconds: A luminous classic: Elena means 'bright, shining light,' from Helen (said 'eh-LAY-nah'). Overwhelmingly a girl's name — we flag the lean.

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Origin MediumGreek, Slavic

MeaningFrom Elena, the Greek/Slavic/Italian form of Helen, 'torch; bright, shining light.' It is overwhelmingly a girl's name; used here for a boy, we flag the cross-sex lean clearly and plainly.

U.S. rank (2017)#12835 ↘ Falling

2017 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1989

Total births (all-time)≈ 98

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Elena is the Greek/Slavic/Italian form of Helen, 'torch; bright, shining light.' It is overwhelmingly a girl's name; here it is used for a boy, which we flag clearly and plainly. Very rare for boys in the U.S. (said 'eh-LAY-nah').

For boys it appears only very rarely in the U.S., against overwhelmingly female use. Rare for boys, luminous, and classic.

Did you know? Elena is the Greek and Slavic form of Helen, 'torch; bright, shining light'; it is overwhelmingly a girl's name, and used here for a boy, we flag the cross-sex lean clearly and plainly (said 'eh-LAY-nah').

Overall data confidence 34%

References — Elena — Greek/Slavic form of Helen; 'bright light'; overwhelmingly a girl's name

Variations

HelenaElennaAlena

Nicknames

EleLeni

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Elena mean?

Elena is the Greek/Slavic form of Helen, 'torch; bright, shining light'; it is overwhelmingly a girl's name.

How do you pronounce Elena?

It's said eh-LAY-nah /ɛˈleɪ.nə/ — three syllables, stress on the second.

Is Elena a boy or girl name?

Elena is overwhelmingly a girl's name; here it is used for a boy, and we flag the cross-sex lean clearly.

How popular is Elena?

Elena is very rare for boys in the U.S.