MEANING & HISTORY
What does Helena mean?
Helena is the Latin form of Greek Helene and a counterpart of Helen. The Greek name is often linked with torch, while a connection with the moon has also been proposed.
Its ultimate derivation is not settled. Saint Helena helped preserve the Latin form in Christian traditions. The specific Latin–Greek transmission is clearer than one unconditional light gloss.
References for this explanation
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
CebuanoEtymology & source
From English Helena, from Latin Helena.
a female given name from Latin
Wiktionary: Helena (Cebuano) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
EnglishEtymology & source
A Latinate form of Helen, borrowed from Latin Helena.
A female given name from Ancient Greek.
Wiktionary: Helena (English) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
People with the name Helena
Public figures and other documented namesakes linked by an explicit given-name claim. This is a selection of records, not a popularity ranking.
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Helena Benitez
Filipino senator and civic leader (1914-2016)
The record establishes the name association, not the person’s intended meaning, pronunciation or ancestry. Descriptions are attributed to Wikidata contributors (CC0).
Use in Philippine-linked records
Public-record transcription
2
eligible source records · 2001
This spelling is reported in an openly licensed transcription of elected-candidate records. This is a record count, not a birth count or national popularity measure.
OpenHalalan / COMELEC ↗Wikidata
3
distinct person records with an explicit given-name claim
Community-edited coverage, not a census or birth registry. Examples: Helena Benitez, Helena Belmonte
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Helena in the birth records
Exact spelling and stated year in the published name tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Tables included: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2016 fact sheet lists five names per sex; the later tables include ten. Missing counts are not inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Helena
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Elena♀Form of Helen
- Helen♀From Greek Helene, often linked with torch
- Selena♀Moon; Latinized form of Selene
- Helga♀Holy or sacred
- Lena♀Short form of Helena or Magdalena
- Serena♀Clear, tranquil, or serene
- Sheena♀English rendering of Gaelic Sìne, in the Jane family
- Athena♀Name of the Greek goddess associated with Athens
What rhymes with Helena?
No dictionary-confirmed rhyme match is available for this spelling in the current catalogue.
Recorded combinations with Helena
1 source-reported compound forms include this name as a component. Each part keeps its own history.
Names in this collection
Explore combinations →Explore Helena further
Follow the sources
- OpenHalalan — pinned 2001 COMELEC transcription (opens in a new tab)
Source-reported given-name form in a row with a separate explicit middle initial; ODbL-1.0.
- COMELEC — 2001 List of Elected Candidates (opens in a new tab)
Original document identified by the transcription; selected PDF entries were spot-checked, not every imported row.
- Wikidata given-name item Q1035239 — Helena (opens in a new tab)
Given-name identity, native labels, language associations and explicit class where present; not lexical meaning or population frequency.
- Wikidata — Helena Benitez (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q1035239 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wikidata — Helena Belmonte (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q1035239 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wiktionary contributors — Helena (Cebuano) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Helena (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Wiktionary: Helena (opens in a new tab)
Personal-name formation and etymological relationships; imported dictionary account consulted.
- Wiktionary: Helen (English) (opens in a new tab)
Consulted underlying source-name etymology for the stated roots or familiar formation.