Feminine · Bulgarian

Elena

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Meaning & History

Elena is a popular female given name of Greek origin, used in numerous languages including Bulgarian, Czech, English, Estonian, Finnish, German, Greek, Italian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, and Spanish. It is a form of Helen, derived from the Greek Helene, meaning "torch," "corposant," or possibly "moon." In Greek mythology, Helen of Troy was the daughter of Zeus and Leda, and her abduction by Paris sparked the Trojan War. The name was also borne by Saint Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, who is credited with finding the True Cross. Elena also serves as an alternate transcription of the Russian Елена, corresponding to Yelena.

Variants and Diminutives

Elena exists in many linguistic forms, including Helena (English, Polish, Latin), Ileana (Romanian, Italian), Jelena (Estonian, Serbian, Croatian), Elen (Czech), and Elina (Finnish). Common diminutives include Lena, Alena (German), Lenka (Czech), and Ilinca (Romanian).

Notable Bearers

The name Elena is borne by many notable figures:

Elena of Montenegro (1873–1952), Queen consort of Italy.
Elena Kagan (born 1960), Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Elena Ferrante (born 1943), pseudonymous Italian novelist.

Elena also appears in fiction, such as characters in Street Fighter III and The Vampire Diaries.

Meaning: torch, shining light
Origin: Greek via Helen
Type: feminine given name
Usage: Pan-European including Bulgarian, Russian, Spanish, Italian

Related Names

Variants

(Romanian) Ileana (Estonian) Jelena (English) Helena (Czech) Elen (Finnish) Elina (English) Ellen 1, Helen (Finnish) Eliina, Heleena (Russian) Yelena (Greek) Eleni (German) Helene (English) Ellena, Hellen

Diminutives

(Romanian) Ilinca, Lenuța (English) Lena (German) Alena 1 (Czech) Lenka, Helenka (Finnish) Heli 2, Leena (English) Ella 2 (Russian) Aliona, Alyona, Alyonka (German) Hella, Lene, Leni (English) Elle, Ellie, Elly, Nell

Other Languages & Cultures

(Swedish) Helena, Helene (Welsh) Elen (Armenian) Heghine (Ukrainian) Lena (Arthurian Cycle) Elaine (Sardinian) Elene (Belarusian) Alena 2 (Slovene) Jelena, Ela 1 (Serbian) Jela, Jelica (Slovene) Jelka (Welsh) Elin (Swedish) Ellen 1, Helen (Norwegian) Eli 3, Eline (Swedish) Ella 2, Elna (Danish) Hella (Norwegian) Helle 1, Lene (Dutch) Heleen, Heleentje (French) Hélène, Éléna (Hungarian) Léna (French) Leyna (Swedish) Nelly (Hungarian) Heléna (Polish) Ilona (Hungarian) Ili, Ilike, Ilka, Ilonka (Icelandic) Elín (Irish) Léan (Latvian) Elīna, Helēna, Jeļena, Elēna, Ina, Liene, Līna, Nellija (Polish) Helenka (Slovene) Alena 1, Alenka (Swedish) Elina, Helén, Nellie (Ukrainian) Olena, Aliona, Alyona, Nelli, Nelya

Surname Descendants

(Italian) Elena

Same Spelling

Éléna, Elēna

User Submissions

ele10na, Elena

Sources: Wikipedia — Elena (given name)