Contribute your knowledge to the name Helena

Comments and insights on the name Helena

I named my daughter Helayna when she was born in 2006. I spelled it that way so it would be pronounced that way not like 'Helen-ah'. We sometimes call her Layna or Laney for short. I think it's a really beautiful name and not overused.

This is my daughter’s name, pronounced Helen-ah. It’s a lovely, classic name and she (and we) get positive comments about it often. If you chose to name your child this, however, be aware she will likely be called Hel-ay-na often since that’s the more common (and also pretty) pronunciation.

Personal experiences with the name Helena

My first name is Allison but my middle name is Helena. It was my great grandma's first name. I think it sounds 1800's like but that's just me.

Nicknames for Helena

Lena
Helen
Laney
Leni
Nellie
Nell
Hel
Helly
Len
Ellie
Herena
Ella
Lainey
Ellen
Lenchen
Henna

Meanings and history of the name Helena

Latinate form of HELEN.

Derived from the Greek ‘Ελενη (Helene), probably from Greek ‘ελενη (helene) "torch" or "corposant", or possibly related to σεληνη (selene) "moon". In Greek mythology Helen was the daughter of Zeus and Leda, whose kidnapping by Paris was the cause of the Trojan War.

The name was also borne by the 4th-century Saint Helena, mother of the Roman emperor Constantine, who supposedly found the True Cross during a trip to Jerusalem.

The name was originally used among early Christians in honour of the saint, as opposed to the classical character. In England it was commonly spelled Ellen during the Middle Ages, and the spelling Helen was not regularly used until after the Renaissance.

Famous real-life people named Helena

Helena Bonham-Carter, actress
Helena Christensen, model
Helena Norberg-Hodge, linguist and writer
Princess Helena Augusta Victoria, daughter of Queen Victoria and wife of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
Helena Grace Rutherford Giersch (b. 2009), daughter of American actress Kelly Rutherford

Helena in song, story & screen

Helena (1950 novel), by Evelyn Waugh
"Helena Justina," love interest/heroine in the Falco books by Lindsay Davis
"Helena," Song by My Chemical Romance
Helena is a small girl's name in a book I read called 'The Riddle Of Raven's Gulch'.
Helena Wayne / Helena Bertinelli, "The Huntress," of DC Comics, the daughter of Bruce Wayne, the latter, an ally of Batman (Bruce Wayne)
"Helena", song by The Misfits
Helena Henstridge in the popular TV show "The Royals"
"Helena", song by Nickel Creek
Helena Douglass from Dead Or Alive series
Helana is a main character in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer's Nights Dream."