Elena (given name)

Elena
PronunciationItalian: [ˈɛːlena]
Spanish: [eˈlena]
GenderFemale
Origin
Word/nameGreece
Meaningbright, shining light
Other names
Related namesEllen, Helen, Helena, Helene

Elena is a popular female given name of Greek origin. The name means "shining light". Nicknames of the name Elena are Lena, Lennie, Ella, Ellie, Nellie, or Nena (less common).[1]

Other common variants are Alena (German, Czech, Russian, Belarusian, Serbian, Croatian); Alenka (Slovenian); Alyona (Russian); Elene (Georgian); Helen (English); Hélène (French); Helena (Latin, Polish); Eliana (Portuguese); Eline (Dutch, Norwegian, Sranan Tongo); Ileana (Romanian, Italian, Spanish); Ilona (Hungarian, Finnish, Latvian); Olena (Ukrainian); Leena (Finnish); and Elena/Yelena/Jelena (Russian, Serbian, Croatian).[2]

  1. ^ The Treasury of North American Baby Names by Gill Davies, p. 88, ISBN 1903025125
  2. ^ "Behind the Name". Archived from the original on 13 February 2008. Retrieved 16 February 2008.