Helaina
A feminine variant of Helen, meaning "bright one" or "shining light" of Greek origin.
Name Census estimates that about 1,001 living Americans carry the first name Helaina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Helaina today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Helaina births was 2003 (46 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Helaina. 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
1.0K
~ 1 in 342,412 Americans
Peak year
2003
46 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,726
Tracked since 1957
Popularity
Helaina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Helaina from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 348 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Helaina remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Helaina 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 Helaina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Helainas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Helaina, while New York, California, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 14 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Helaina
The name Helaina has its origins in Greek culture, deriving from the Greek word "helios," meaning "sun." This name emerged during ancient times, likely as early as the 5th century BCE, when the worship of sun deities was prevalent in Greek mythology.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Helaina can be found in the works of ancient Greek poets and playwrights, where it was often used as a poetic name or given to characters associated with the sun or light. The name's connection to the sun deity Helios made it a popular choice among the ancient Greeks.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Helaina. One of the earliest recorded instances was Helaina of Cyzicus (c. 500 BCE), a Greek philosopher and mathematician known for her contributions to the study of geometry and her work on the concept of the golden ratio.
In the Middle Ages, Helaina of Flanders (c. 1109-1182) was a prominent figure, known for her patronage of the arts and her role in the development of the Romanesque architectural style in the region. Another noteworthy bearer of the name was Helaina of Constantinople (c. 1240-1310), a Byzantine scholar and translator who played a significant role in preserving and disseminating ancient Greek texts during the Renaissance.
During the Renaissance period, Helaina Sforza (1451-1512), an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts, was a prominent figure in the cultural circles of the time. She was known for her patronage of artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and her involvement in the development of the Renaissance art and architecture in Italy.
In more recent times, Helaina Blackburn (1925-2017), an American actress and singer, gained recognition for her performances on Broadway and in several Hollywood films during the mid-20th century.
While the name Helaina has maintained a presence throughout history, its popularity has varied across different cultures and time periods. However, its roots in Greek mythology and its connection to the sun have endured, making it a name with a rich cultural heritage and a lasting legacy.
People
Helaina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Helaina as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Helaina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Helaina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,001 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Helaina 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 342,412 US residents.
Is Helaina a common name?
We classify Helaina as "Rare". It ranks above 90.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,023 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Helaina most popular?
The single biggest year for Helaina was 2003, when 46 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Helaina is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Helaina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Helaina 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.