Eleana
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "shining light" or "bright".
Name Census estimates that about 1,531 living Americans carry the first name Eleana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Eleana today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eleana births was 2023 (55 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eleana. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.5K
~ 1 in 223,876 Americans
Peak year
2023
55 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,973
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Eleana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Eleana from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 406 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Eleana remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Eleana by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Eleana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Eleanas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Eleana, while Wisconsin, Virginia, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 39 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Eleana
The name Eleana has its origins in the Greek language and culture. It is a feminine variant of the name Elena, which is derived from the Greek word "helene," meaning "bright one" or "the bright one." The name has been in use since ancient times and has a rich history spanning several centuries.
Eleana was a popular name among the ancient Greeks, and it is mentioned in various literary works and historical records. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the works of Homer, the renowned ancient Greek poet who lived around the 8th century BC. In his epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, Homer references a character named Helena, which is the Greek equivalent of Eleana.
The name Eleana also has religious significance in the Christian tradition. In the New Testament of the Bible, there is a character named Helena, who is believed to have been the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great. She is revered as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and is celebrated for her role in locating and preserving several important Christian relics, including the True Cross.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Eleana or its variants. One of the most famous was Eleana Glendinning (1630-1718), a Scottish woman who was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials in colonial Massachusetts. Despite being acquitted, her story has become an important part of American folklore and has been the subject of numerous books and plays.
Another notable Eleana was Eleana Cornaro Piscopia (1646-1684), an Italian philosopher and mathematician who was the first woman to receive a doctoral degree from the University of Padua. She was a trailblazer in the field of education and paved the way for future generations of women scholars.
In the realm of literature, Eleana Ferrante is the pseudonym used by the acclaimed Italian author of the Neapolitan Novels series, which includes the books "My Brilliant Friend," "The Story of a New Name," "Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay," and "The Story of the Lost Child." Despite the author's identity remaining a closely guarded secret, the books have received widespread critical acclaim and have been translated into numerous languages.
Eleana has also been the name of several notable figures in the arts and entertainment industry. Eleana Carr (1880-1958) was an American stage and film actress who appeared in several Broadway productions and silent films in the early 20th century. More recently, Eleana Kampouris is a Greek-American actress known for her roles in films such as "Before I Fall" and "Shoplifters of the World."
While the name Eleana has its roots in ancient Greek culture, it has transcended its origins and has been embraced by various cultures and societies throughout history. Its enduring popularity and rich historical significance have made it a timeless and captivating name that continues to resonate with people around the world.
People
Eleana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eleana as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Eleana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eleana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,531 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eleana going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 223,876 US residents.
Is Eleana a common name?
We classify Eleana as "Rare". It ranks above 92.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,649 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eleana most popular?
The single biggest year for Eleana was 2023, when 55 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eleana is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Eleana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eleana in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.