Elene
Feminine form of the Greek name meaning "bright shining one".
Name Census estimates that about 583 living Americans carry the first name Elene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Elene today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elene births was 1922 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elene. 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
583
~ 1 in 587,915 Americans
Peak year
1922
37 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,057
Tracked since 1908
Popularity
Elene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elene from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 250 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Elene 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 Elene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Elenes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. New York, California, Alabama recorded the most babies named Elene, while Texas, Georgia, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Elene
The name Elene has its origins in the Greek language, derived from the word "helene," which means "bright one" or "shining light." It is a variant spelling of the more common name "Helen."
The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to ancient Greek mythology, where Helen of Troy, also known as Helen of Sparta, was a figure of immense beauty and the cause of the Trojan War. Her abduction by Paris, a Trojan prince, led to a decade-long conflict between the Greeks and Trojans, as depicted in Homer's epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey.
In the Christian tradition, Elene is associated with Saint Helena, the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. Born around 248 AD, Saint Helena is revered for her role in establishing Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire and her pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where she is credited with discovering the True Cross upon which Jesus Christ was crucified.
Another notable historical figure bearing the name Elene was Elene Gamsakhurdia, a Georgian writer and public figure born in 1918. She played a significant role in the preservation of Georgian culture and language during the Soviet era and was a vocal advocate for Georgian independence.
In literature, Elene is the name of the protagonist in the Old English poem "Elene," written sometime between the 7th and 10th centuries. The poem tells the story of Saint Helena's journey to the Holy Land and her discovery of the True Cross.
The name Elene has also been borne by several notable artists and musicians throughout history, such as Elene Ushinskaya (1877-1963), a Russian opera singer and actress, and Elene Reboul (1834-1908), a French poet and writer.
While the name Elene has its roots in ancient Greek mythology and Christian tradition, it has maintained its popularity across various cultures and eras, reflecting the enduring appeal of its meaning and historical significance.
People
Elene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elene 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
Elene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 583 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elene 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 587,915 US residents.
Is Elene a common name?
We classify Elene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,261 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elene most popular?
The single biggest year for Elene was 1922, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elene is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Elene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Elene 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.