NameRealm
Helene

Helene: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“torch; shining light”
Origin
Greek
Say it
heh-LEN · 2 syllables
Used for
Girls

French and international form of Helen, from Greek Helene. The name is traditionally associated with light, though some details of the original Greek etymology remain debated.

French namesGreek namesNames meaning lightClassic namesInternational names

How popular is Helene?

202412.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Helene in 202440

2024 rank#3,747 girls

Peak year1911

Total US babies since 188033,291

Helene is steady now but far below its 1911 peak.

Names like Helene

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Laineybright shining one · English
  • Helentorch; shining light · Greek
  • Elainebright, shining light · French
  • Alenabright, shining light · Slavic
  • Ellentorch; bright shining one · Greek
  • Elinabright, shining one · Greek
  • Elenitorch; shining light · Greek
  • Hellentorch; shining light · Greek

Helene questions

What does the name Helene mean?

Helene means "torch; shining light". It comes from Greek. French and international form of Helen, from Greek Helene. The name is traditionally associated with light, though some details of the original Greek etymology remain debated.

Is Helene a boy or girl name?

Helene is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Helene?

40 US babies were named Helene in 2024. Its peak year was 1911.

How do you pronounce Helene?

Helene is usually pronounced heh-LEN.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.