Elena
Meaning of Elena
The name Elena is a beautiful and timeless choice for a baby girl. With origins in Greek, the name means "bright" or "shining light," reflecting its luminous charm. Elena has been embraced across various cultures, leading to different pronunciations: in English, it is pronounced as eh-LAY-nuh (/əˈleɪnə/), while in Spanish and Italian, it is pronounced as eh-LEH-nah (/eˈlena/). The name has several appealing variations, including Elaina and Alena. Elena's popularity in the United States has seen a significant rise over the years; it ranked 47th in 2023 with 4,261 occurrences. This steady increase from its rank of 628 back in 1880 highlights its enduring appeal. Associated with elegance and grace, Elena is a name that carries both historical significance and contemporary charm, making it a wonderful choice for parents seeking a classic yet modern name for their daughter.
Pronunciation
English
- Pronunced as eh-LAY-nuh (/əˈleɪnə/)
Spanish
- Pronunced as eh-LEH-nah (/eˈlena/)
Italian
- Pronunced as eh-LEH-nah (/eˈlɛna/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Elena
| Elena Delle Donne is a prominent American professional basketball player known for her success with the Washington Mystics in the WNBA. |
| Elena Poniatowska is a French-born Mexican journalist and author known for her works on social and political issues, particularly focused on disenfranchised groups, and is often referred to as "Mexico's grande dame of letters." |
| Elena Ferrante is a renowned Italian novelist, best known for her Neapolitan Novels series, which has been translated into multiple languages. |
| Elena Cornaro Piscopia - Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia, also known as Helen Cornaro, was a Venetian philosopher who became one of the first women to receive an academic degree from a university and the first to receive a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1678. |
| Elena Bennett - Elena M. Bennett is an esteemed American ecosystem ecologist, serving as a Professor and Canada Research Chair in Sustainability Science at McGill University, with notable inductions into the Royal Society of Canada and the National Academy of Sciences, as well as being named a Guggenheim Fellow. |
| Elena Anaya Gutiérrez is a Spanish actress known for her roles in international films. |
| Elena Congost Mohedano is a successful Spanish Paralympic athlete and teacher, known for her achievements in T12/B2 track and field events, including winning the marathon at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. |
| María de la Encarnación Gertrudis Jacoba Aragoneses y de Urquijo, known as Elena Fortún, was a renowned Spanish author of children's literature, best known for her popular and successful Celia series, which are considered classics of Spanish literature. |
| Elena Cattaneo is an Italian pharmacologist and co-founding director of the University of Milan's Center for Stem Cell Research. |
| Elena Satine is a Georgian-American actress and singer known for her roles in TV series like Magic City, Revenge, Cowboy Bebop, Smallville, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and The Gifted. |
| Elena Angela Verdugo was an American actress with a career in radio, television, and film that spanned six decades. |
| Elena Leușteanu-Popescu was a pioneering Romanian artistic gymnast, winning three Olympic bronze medals and becoming the first Romanian gymnast to win an individual Olympic medal. |
| Elena Mosaner, a Russian-born American hypnotherapist and certified coach, is the founder of Inside Hypnosis and the AlphaMind self-hypnosis app. |
| Elena Patron-de los Angeles, also known as Elena Patron, was a versatile and pioneering Filipina writer who excelled in various literary genres, including scriptwriting, novels, poetry, and essays, and made significant contributions to Philippine comics. |
| Elena Yuryevna Guskova is a Russian historian and member of the Serbian Academy of Science and Arts. |
