Helix
A spiraling curved form or structure.
Name Census estimates that about 156 living Americans carry the first name Helix. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Helix today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Helix births was 2024 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Helix. 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
156
~ 1 in 2,197,143 Americans
Peak year
2024
21 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,752
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Helix: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Helix from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 85 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Helix 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 Helix 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 Helix
The name Helix has its origins in Ancient Greek, derived from the word "helix," meaning "spiral" or "coil." This term was used to describe the winding shape of various objects, such as seashells, vines, and even strands of DNA.
In Greek mythology, Helix was a minor figure mentioned in the works of ancient writers like Ovid and Hyginus. He was a young man who fell in love with a nymph named Salmacis, leading to a tragic tale of transformation and eternal entanglement.
The earliest recorded use of Helix as a personal name dates back to the 5th century BCE, when it was occasionally bestowed upon Greek individuals, particularly in regions like Attica and the Ionian Islands.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Helix was a Greek astronomer and mathematician who lived in the 5th century BCE. He is credited with developing the heliocentric theory, which posited that the Earth and other planets revolved around the Sun.
In the realm of philosophy, Helix of Cyzicus was a notable Stoic philosopher who lived in the 3rd century BCE. He was a student of Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism, and contributed significantly to the development of this philosophical school.
During the Byzantine era, Helix was the name of a 6th-century monk and scholar who authored several theological treatises and commentaries on the works of earlier Christian thinkers.
In the field of medicine, Helix Parischen was a renowned physician from the 2nd century CE, who made significant contributions to the understanding of anatomy and physiology.
Fast-forwarding to more recent times, Helix Arnoldo was a prominent Italian architect and urban planner who lived in the 15th century. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings and public spaces in Renaissance-era Florence.
While the name Helix has ancient roots and occasional historical usage, it has remained relatively uncommon as a given name throughout most periods. Its unique and distinctive quality, however, has ensured that it continues to be bestowed upon individuals in various cultures and regions around the world.
People
Helix + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Helix 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
Helix: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Helix?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 156 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Helix 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 2,197,143 US residents.
Is Helix a common name?
We classify Helix as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 157 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Helix most popular?
The single biggest year for Helix was 2024, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Helix is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Helix a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Helix in the SSA data are male. 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.