Helen
Top 1000
About Helen
Helen is a name that has connoted beauty since ancient times – Helen of Troy was the the mythological "face that launched a thousand ships," over whom the ten-year Trojan War was fought. These days, however, it feels like a perfectly grounded choice, strong and elegant without fuss: the sort of unadorned classic, like Mary, Jane, and Ruth, that some parents are looking to.
The name has moved in and out of favor over the centuries, often alternating with Ellen. It was a Top 5 name for several decades of the early twentieth century, falling out of the Top 100 in the 50s. It remains a Top 500 choice in the US, however, making it a solid choice but slightly less expected than Charlotte or Elizabeth.
Helen has legions of real-life namesakes, including a 4th-cnetury saint, author and activist Helen Keller, politician Helen Gahaghan Douglas, newspaper reporter Helen Thomas, Cosmo force Helen Gurley Brown, Bridget Jones creator Helen Fielding, artist Helen Frankenthaler, and actresses Hayes, Mirren, and Hunt. Beatrix Potter's birth name was also Helen.
Love Helen but want to add a little extra spark? Try nicknames Leni, Hella, Nell, Nella, Nellie, Lena, or Hennie. Need to honor a Helen but don't want to use this exact form? Consider one of the many international variations including Ilona, Nelya, Yelena, Helemla, Helena, Ilka, Aliona, Eleni, or Elin.
As of October 2026, Helen ranked #462 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #2 in 1910, Nameberry popularity #436.
Editor's take: The name Helen is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "torch, shining light".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #403 | 802 | 449 |
| 2015 | #419 | 767 | 429.7 |
| 2016 | #409 | 816 | 460.5 |
| 2017 | #418 | 763 | 441.9 |
| 2018 | #415 | 745 | 438 |
| 2019 | #428 | 743 | 442.7 |
| 2020 | #426 | 721 | 446 |
| 2021 | #444 | 704 | 429 |
| 2022 | #422 | 749 | 456.7 |
| 2023 | #395 | 776 | 483.6 |
| 2024 | #424 | 726 | 448.1 |
| 2025 | #462 | 668 | 415.6 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Helen.
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- Virginia
- Martha
- Judith
- Miriam
- Georgiana
- Mary
- Nancy
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- Anne
- Bernadette
- Marguerite
- Joan
- Henrietta
- Ruth
- Claudia
- Louise
- Dorothy
- Georgina
- Philippa
Helen on lists
Famous Helens
- Helen Adams Keller
American deaf and blind author and political activist
- Helen Hayes
American actress
- Helen Elizabeth Hunt
American actress
- Helen Clare Kane
American singer who inspired cartoon character Betty Boop
- Helen Elizabeth Clark
37th Prime Minister of New Zealand
- Helen
Princess of Serbia; daughter of Peter I of Yugoslavia
- Helen Augusta Blanchard
American inventor
- Helen Lydia Mirren
English actress
- Helen Elizabeth McCrory
English actress
- (Helen) Beatrix Potter
English children's author and illustrator
- Helen Joyce Gabriel Flanagan
English actress and model
- Helen Jane Long
English musician
- Helen Jairag Richardson
Anglo,Burmese Indian actress and dancer
- Helen Rachel Slater
American actress and singer,songwriter
- Helen Castillo
American Fashion Designer
- Helen Morgan
American singer and actress
- Helen Kalin Klanderud
American politician
- Helen "Nellie" Costigan Cohan
American actress
- Helen George
British actress
- Helen Hinkle
member of the Beat Generation circle and inspiration for Galatea Dunkel in Jack Kerouac's "On the Road"
- Helen Joanna Santos (b. 1944)
daughter of actors Dick Haymes & Joanne Dru
- Helen Grace De Niro (b. 2011)
daughter of actor Robert De Niro
Helen in pop culture
- Helen of Troy
Greek mythological figure said to be the most beautiful woman in the world.
- Mount St. Helens
volcano in Washington State, USA
- Helen
first queen of Narnia in the novel: 'The Magician's Nephew' by C.S. Lewis
- Helen Graham
main character in 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall' by Anne Brontë
- Helen Burns
character in "Jane Eyre"
- Helen Stanley
main character in "Helen" by Maria Edgeworth
- Helen Leonard
main character in 2009 film "Helen"
- Helen Seinfeld
Jerry's mom on TV's "Seinfeld"
- Helen Ferguson
paranoid nurse in Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms"
- Helen Spitz
character on animated series "Braceface"
- Helen Memel
main character in Charlotte Roche's "Wetlands" and the film o the same name
- Dr. Helen Magnus
character on TV's "Sanctuary"
- Helen Parr aka Elastigirl
character in Pixar's "The Incredibles"
- Helen Morgendorffer
character in animated series "Daria"
- Helen Harris
character in film "Bridesmaids"
- Helen Grady
character in the video game "Silent Hill: Origins"
- Helen Hawkins
character on TV's "Siren"
- Helen Quilley
main character in film "Sliding Doors"
- Helen McIntire
American Girl doll character
- "Helen
Sweetheart of the Internet," comic strip by Peter Zale
- Helen Longshanks
character in the Inheritance Cycle
- Helen Shivers
character in film "I Know What You Did Last Summer"
- Margot Helen Tenenbaum
character in film "The Royal Tenenbaums"
- Helen Bryce
character on "Smallville"
- Helen Thermopolis
character in "The Princess Diaries" series
- Helen Blackthorn
character from Cassandra Clare's "Mortal Instruments and Dark Artifices" series
- Helen Ophelia DuBois
character on TV's "Drake and Josh"
- Helen
character on Showtime's "Masters of Sex," played by Sarah Silverman
- Helen Lovejoy
a character from "The Simpsons"
- Helen Schlegel
character in E.M. Forster's novel "Howards End"
- Helen
Queen of Eddis in Megan Whalen Turner's "Queen's Thief" series
- Helen Harris
character in the 2004 Comedy film "Raising Helen"
- Helen Roper
character on TV show "Three's Company"