Helen

Primarily a girl's name · 100% girls

Meaning

Helen is a feminine given name derived from the Ancient Greek name Ἑλένη, Helenē, which descends from Proto-Hellenic *Ηwelénā, from a pre-Hellenic or late Proto-Indo-European *Swelénā, ultimately derived from the Indo-European root *swel-. The name is of uncertain origin.

From Wikipedia

Helen first appears in the data in 1996 and has been recorded in 21 different years as a girl's name. Its single biggest year was 1996 with 435 babies (rank #108 that year). It was not in the 2024 data. The name has been declining over the last five years.

Numerology of Helen

In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Helen yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.

8Destiny numberThe achieverDriven, capable, comfortable wielding influence.Sum of every letter. The overall character a name carries.
1Soul urgeThe leaderIndependent, pioneering, drawn to going first.Sum of the vowels — what's said to drive the heart.
7PersonalityThe seekerIntrospective, analytical, drawn to the unknown.Sum of the consonants — the outer impression.

2,971

Total babies (all years)

Years in the data

435

Peak in a single year

Popularity Over Time — Girls

Also a character in

In Greek Mythology: Helen of Troy — face that launched a thousand ships
In The Brontë Novels: Helen Burns — Jane's friend at Lowood
In The Brontë Novels: Helen Graham — Anne's tenant of Wildfell Hall

Famous people named Helen

Helen Kellerautobiographer · b. 1880
Helen Mirrenfilm actor · b. 1945
Helen Clarkuniversity teacher · b. 1950
Helen Huntfilm actor · b. 1963
Helen Hayesautobiographer · b. 1900

Share your Helen story

Why did you choose this name — or what does it mean to you? Approved stories appear on this page.

More popular girls' names

Other girls' names starting with H

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all girls' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1996	435	#108
1997	383	#128
1998	312	#145
1999	242	#183
2000	205	#207
2001	163	#243
2002	133	#286
2003	132	#301
2004	129	#316
2005	104	#384
2006	89	#446
2007	84	#471
2008	84	#476
2009	66	#581
2010	61	#626
2011	53	#726
2012	60	#695
2013	64	#644
2014	51	#770
2015	53	#739
2016	68	#624