Helen
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
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.
Helen for girls#462 US
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.
Helen for boys
The classic Helen is typically used for girls, connected as it is to Helen of Troy, often described as the most beautiful woman in Greece and the Ancient World. However, it has in fact featured in the US Top 1000 in the early 20th century, peaking in 1927, when it was given to more than 90 boys. Given to more than 700 girls in a recent year, it last appeared in the stats for boys back in 2004, when it was given to 5.
Pronounced HEL-un.
As of October 2026, Helen ranked #462 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #2 in 1910, Nameberry popularity #272.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #403 | 802 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #419 | 767 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #409 | 816 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #418 | 763 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #415 | 745 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #428 | 743 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #426 | 721 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #444 | 704 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #422 | 749 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #395 | 776 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #424 | 726 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #462 | 668 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Helen.
Helen on lists
Famous Helens
- Helen Adams KellerGirl
American deaf and blind author and political activist
- Helen HayesGirl
American actress
- Helen Elizabeth HuntGirl
American actress
- Helen Clare KaneGirl
American singer who inspired cartoon character Betty Boop
- Helen Elizabeth ClarkGirl
37th Prime Minister of New Zealand
- HelenGirl
Princess of Serbia; daughter of Peter I of Yugoslavia
- Helen Augusta BlanchardGirl
American inventor
- Helen Lydia MirrenGirl
English actress
- Helen Elizabeth McCroryGirl
English actress
- (Helen) Beatrix PotterGirl
English children's author and illustrator
- Helen Joyce Gabriel FlanaganGirl
English actress and model
- Helen Jane LongGirl
English musician
- Helen Jairag RichardsonGirl
Anglo,Burmese Indian actress and dancer
- Helen Rachel SlaterGirl
American actress and singer,songwriter
- Helen CastilloGirl
American Fashion Designer
- Helen MorganGirl
American singer and actress
- Helen Kalin KlanderudGirl
American politician
- Helen "Nellie" Costigan CohanGirl
American actress
- Helen GeorgeGirl
British actress
- Helen HinkleGirl
member of the Beat Generation circle and inspiration for Galatea Dunkel in Jack Kerouac's "On the Road"
- Helen Joanna Santos (b. 1944)Girl
daughter of actors Dick Haymes & Joanne Dru
- Helen Grace De Niro (b. 2011)Girl
daughter of actor Robert De Niro
Helen in pop culture
- Helen of TroyGirl
Greek mythological figure said to be the most beautiful woman in the world.
- Mount St. HelensGirl
volcano in Washington State, USA
- HelenGirl
first queen of Narnia in the novel: 'The Magician's Nephew' by C.S. Lewis
- Helen GrahamGirl
main character in 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall' by Anne Brontë
- Helen BurnsGirl
character in "Jane Eyre"
- Helen StanleyGirl
main character in "Helen" by Maria Edgeworth
- Helen LeonardGirl
main character in 2009 film "Helen"
- Helen SeinfeldGirl
Jerry's mom on TV's "Seinfeld"
- Helen FergusonGirl
paranoid nurse in Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms"
- Helen SpitzGirl
character on animated series "Braceface"
- Helen MemelGirl
main character in Charlotte Roche's "Wetlands" and the film o the same name
- Dr. Helen MagnusGirl
character on TV's "Sanctuary"
- Helen Parr aka ElastigirlGirl
character in Pixar's "The Incredibles"
- Helen MorgendorfferGirl
character in animated series "Daria"
- Helen HarrisGirl
character in film "Bridesmaids"
- Helen GradyGirl
character in the video game "Silent Hill: Origins"
- Helen HawkinsGirl
character on TV's "Siren"
- Helen QuilleyGirl
main character in film "Sliding Doors"
- Helen McIntireGirl
American Girl doll character
- "HelenGirl
Sweetheart of the Internet," comic strip by Peter Zale
- Helen LongshanksGirl
character in the Inheritance Cycle
- Helen ShiversGirl
character in film "I Know What You Did Last Summer"
- Margot Helen TenenbaumGirl
character in film "The Royal Tenenbaums"
- Helen BryceGirl
character on "Smallville"
- Helen ThermopolisGirl
character in "The Princess Diaries" series
- Helen BlackthornGirl
character from Cassandra Clare's "Mortal Instruments and Dark Artifices" series
- Helen Ophelia DuBoisGirl
character on TV's "Drake and Josh"
- HelenGirl
character on Showtime's "Masters of Sex," played by Sarah Silverman
- Helen LovejoyGirl
a character from "The Simpsons"
- Helen SchlegelGirl
character in E.M. Forster's novel "Howards End"
- HelenGirl
Queen of Eddis in Megan Whalen Turner's "Queen's Thief" series
- Helen HarrisGirl
character in the 2004 Comedy film "Raising Helen"
- Helen RoperGirl
character on TV show "Three's Company"