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Elena

eh-LAY-nah, eh-LEN-ah, EL-en-ah
Spanish, Italian, German, Greek variation of Helen
"bright, shining light"
Grace Royal
By Grace Royal
Updated Thu Jun 12 2025

Elena Origin and Meaning

The name Elena is a girl's name of Spanish, Italian, Greek origin meaning "bright, shining light".

Elena is at its most popular point ever in the US, thanks to its cross-cultural appeal and the overall popularity of El- names. It's more international than Ellen or Eleanor, but still accessible.

A pan-European version of Helen, Elena has roots in Spanish, Italian, Slavic, and Romanian, among other languages. Helen, the name from which it derives, came from the Greek word helene, meaning "torch." Alternate spellings include Elaina, Ellena, and Alena.

Elena may be trending, but she's also a solid classic as well as an international favorite. Elena ranks highly in France, Italy, Germany, and Spain along with a host of other countries.

A worthy namesake is Elena Kagan, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, the fourth female to hold that position. Pseudonymous Italian writer Elena Ferrante, author of the Neapolitan Novels, is another famous Elena.

A fictional bearer is Elena Gilbert, protagonist of The Vampire Diaries. and Elena Lincoln is a character in Fifty Shades of Grey. Elena of Avalor is a princess featured in the Disney Junior show of that name.

Read more about Elena and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.

# 45 in the US

Elena Rank in US Top 1000

# 110 on Nameberry

Elena Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Elena

20 Names Similar to Elena

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Elena.

Famous People Named Elena

  • Elena Petrović
    Njegoš of Montenegro, Queen consort of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and Albania
  • Elena Jane "Ellie" Goulding
    English singer
  • Elena Sergeevna "Lena" Katina
    Russian singer of group t.A.T.u
  • Elena Kagan
    U.S. Supreme Court Justice
  • Elena Alexandrovna Likhovtseva
    Russian tennis player
  • Elena Băsescu
    Romanian MEP
  • Elena Ferrante
    penname of an unknown Italian novelist
  • Elena Gant
    reality TV personality from "Little Women: LA"
  • Elena Goode
    American actress
  • Elena María Isabel Dominica de Silos de Borbón y de Grecia
    Infanta of Spain; Duchess of Lugo; daughter of Juan Carlos I
  • Elena
    Princess of Romania; daughter of Michael I
  • Elena Delle Donne
    American basketball player
  • Elena Bibescu
    Romanian princess and pianist
  • Elena Olegovna Bovina
    Russian tennis player
  • Elena Radionova
    Russian figure skater
  • Elena Sergeevna Baltacha
    Ukrainian,British tennis player
  • Elena Slivnyak
    fashion designer and former "Project Runway" contestant
  • Elena Vesnina
    Russian tennis player
  • Elena Viatcheslavovna Dementieva
    Russian tennis player
  • Eleni "Elena" Paparizou
    Greek,Swedish singer
  • Elena Eremina
    Russian gymnast
  • Elena Arenas
    American gymnast
  • Elena Neill (b. 1991)
    daughter of actor Sam Neill
  • Elena Kitic (b. 1998)
    daughter of Serbian stars Mile Kitic & Marta Savic
  • Elena Bineva
    Bulgarian rhythmic gymnast
  • Elena Kong
    Hong,Kong actress

The name Elena in Pop Culture

  • Elena Gilbert
    character in The Vampire Diaries series
  • Elena "Helene" Vasilyevna Kuragina
    character from Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace
  • Elena Castillo Flores of Avalor
    Disney Princess on animated series "Elena of Avalor"
  • Elena Houghlin
    character in 2019's "Charlie's Angels"
  • Elena Tyler
    character on TV's "Felicity"
  • Elena Ramos
    character on TV's "Dallas"
  • Elena Fisher
    character in the video game 'Uncharted'
  • Elena Lincoln
    character in the Fifty Shades of Grey series
  • Godmother Elena
    main character in "The Fairy Godmother"
  • Elena
    Daemon Spade's lover in the series, 'Katekyo Hitman Reborn!'
  • Elena
    character in the game 'Final Fantasy VII'
  • Elena Derevko
    character on TV's Alias
  • Elena "Yo
    Yo" Rodriguez, character on TV's "Agents of SHIELD"
  • Elena
    character in the Street Fighter video games
  • Elena Greco
    heroine and narrator of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels
  • Elena Galathynius Havilliard
    half,fae Queen from the Throne of Glass novels
  • Elena Antonov Michaels Danvers
    main character in Kelley Armstrong "Women of the Otherworld"
  • Elena Alvarez
    character in Netflix's "One Day At A Time"

The name Elena in Nameberry Blog Posts