Helaine
Feminine form of the Greek name Helen meaning "bright one" or "shining light".
Name Census estimates that about 964 living Americans carry the first name Helaine. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Helaine today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Helaine births was 1947 (67 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Helaine. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Helaine is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Helaines were born before 1967.
People living today
964
~ 1 in 355,554 Americans
Peak year
1947
67 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
2021 SSA rank
#16,134
Tracked since 1909
Popularity
Helaine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Helaine from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 479 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Helaine 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 Helaine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Helaines live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Helaine, while Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 118 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Helaine
The name Helaine has its origins in the ancient Greek language and can be traced back to the 5th century BC. It is derived from the Greek word "helios," meaning "sun." In Greek mythology, Helios was the personification of the sun and was considered one of the most powerful and revered deities.
The earliest recorded use of the name Helaine dates back to the 4th century BC, where it was mentioned in the works of the Greek philosopher Plato. In his dialogues, Plato used the name to refer to a character who was a student of Socrates.
Throughout history, the name Helaine has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest and most famous was Helaine of Cyzicus, a Greek philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 3rd century BC. She was renowned for her contributions to the field of geometry and was considered a pioneer in the study of conic sections.
Another notable figure was Helaine of Alexandria, a Christian martyr who lived in the 3rd century AD. She was executed for her faith during the persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Her story was recorded in various early Christian writings, and she became revered as a saint in the Catholic Church.
In the Middle Ages, the name Helaine gained popularity among the nobility in parts of Europe. One notable bearer was Helaine of Anjou, a French noblewoman who lived in the 12th century. She was known for her patronage of the arts and literature and played a significant role in the cultural renaissance of the time.
During the Renaissance, the name Helaine was associated with several influential women. One of the most famous was Helaine de Poitiers, a French noblewoman and mistress of King Henry II of France. She wielded considerable influence at the French court and was renowned for her beauty, intelligence, and political acumen.
In more recent times, the name Helaine has been borne by several writers and artists. One notable example is Helaine Olen, an American writer and journalist born in 1957, known for her work on personal finance and consumer issues.
People
Helaine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Helaine 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
Helaine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Helaine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 964 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Helaine 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 355,554 US residents.
Is Helaine a common name?
We classify Helaine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,794 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Helaine most popular?
The single biggest year for Helaine was 1947, when 67 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Helaine is about 69 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Helaine a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Helaine 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.