Yelena

Meaning: To shine, burn, or glow
Origin: Russian (from Greek) — Variant of Helen · From Proto-Indo-European root swel-

Girl's name · #1807 in the US (2025) · Trending

Popularity over time

Yelena is moving up the charts. First recorded in 1961, it stood at #1807 in 2025; about 1,600 girls have been named Yelena along the way.

See where Yelena is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 7 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

See how Yelena ranks in other countries and regions.

#1,330 in Ecuador (2025) · #1,474 in France (2025) · #2,597 in Switzerland (2025) · #3,018 in Canada (2024).

Yelena Isinbayeva — Russian female Olympic pole-vaulter
Yelena Bonner — Human rights activist in the former Soviet Union; wife of dissident Andrei Sakharov
Yelena Serova — Russian cosmonaut
Yelena Slesarenko — Athletics competitor
Yelena Kondakova — Russian cosmonaut

Among 612 notable people named Yelena:

Sports figures appear 1.88× more often than among typical names — e.g. Yelena Slesarenko, Russian athlete (born 1982).

About 1,200 girls a year are given Lena as their full name.

Similar names: Helena · Astraea · Ilyana · Senna · Nyx · Irina

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.