Helenna
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "bright, shining light".
Name Census estimates that about 52 living Americans carry the first name Helenna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Helenna today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Helenna births was 2019 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Helenna. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Helenna. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
52
~ 1 in 6,591,430 Americans
Peak year
2019
9 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2023 SSA rank
#16,061
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Helenna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Helenna from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 23 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Helenna 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 Helenna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Helenna
The name Helenna originates from the Greek language and has its roots in the ancient Hellenic culture. It is a feminine form of the male name Helenus, which was derived from the Greek word 'helene', meaning 'torch' or 'bright one'. This connection to light and radiance is a recurring theme in the mythology and history associated with the name.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Helenna can be found in Greek mythology. Helenna was a character mentioned in Homer's epic poem, the Iliad, where she was described as a daughter of the Trojan prince Priam. She was renowned for her exceptional beauty, and her abduction by the Spartan prince Paris was said to have sparked the legendary Trojan War.
In ancient Roman times, the name Helenna was adopted and latinized to 'Helena'. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Helena of Constantinople, also known as Saint Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. She was born around 250 AD and is revered as a significant figure in the history of Christianity for her pivotal role in the establishment of the religion in the Roman Empire.
During the Middle Ages, the name Helenna gained popularity across Europe, particularly in regions with strong Greek and Roman cultural influences. Notable figures from this era include Helenna of Anjou (1109-1164), a French princess and the wife of King William I of Sicily, and Helenna of Burgundy (1080-1141), a Countess and the wife of King Inge I of Sweden.
In the Renaissance period, the name Helenna continued to be favored among the aristocratic classes. One of the most celebrated bearers of this name was Helenna Rubinstein (1872-1965), a Polish-American businesswoman and the founder of the cosmetics company that bears her name. Her entrepreneurial spirit and innovative approach to beauty products made her a pioneering figure in the industry.
Moving into the modern era, Helenna has remained a popular name, though its spelling variants, such as Helena and Alena, have also gained traction. Notable figures from the 20th century include Helenna Bonham Carter (born 1966), the acclaimed British actress known for her roles in films like Fight Club and the Harry Potter series, and Helenna Christensen (born 1968), the Danish model and actress who rose to fame as a Victoria's Secret Angel.
People
Helenna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Helenna 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
Helenna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Helenna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 52 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Helenna 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 6,591,430 US residents.
Is Helenna a common name?
We classify Helenna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 54.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 53 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Helenna most popular?
The single biggest year for Helenna was 2019, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Helenna is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Helenna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Helenna 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.