Contribute your knowledge to the name Elena

Comments and insights on the name Elena: | Edit

In Germany the name can be pronounced in 3 different ways: always eh l eh n ah, but with no stress or a stress on the first eh or on the second. In my name eg is no syllaby stressed.

^Nope sorry. In every single word there must be a stresses syllable.

Personal experiences with the name Elena: | Edit

Common combinations in Spanish are Luz Elena, Maria Elena and Martha Elena.

Naming my daughter "EL-EN-AH" seemed easy enough, but she's gone through life correcting people that say "Elaine-ah" She's named after her great grandmother, grand aunt, and aunt from my husband's Italian family. Her aunt goes by "Ellie" which seems like such a waste of a beautiful name. Hopefully my daughter will like the name enough to keep correcting people.

This is my grandmothers name- except she pronounces it like Ellen-ah. I believe it is the proper pronounciation in Lithuanian, and opens it up as an alternitive name for the nickname Ellie, which is what she goes by.

My name is Elena (Ellen-ah - the greek pr.) I struggle a lot with people calling me Eh-LAYNE-ah and now go by Ellie, which I seriously dislike, but has no pronouciation issues. I do love my name, but I wish everyone could pronouce it right.

My name is Elena (E-LAY-nuh) but hardly anyone says it right! It's amazing what people come up with! My full name is Maria Elena, and frankly, I love it! My mother is spanish, and the name sounds so much prettier with a spanish accent.

My great cousin from Madrid is Maria Elena, nn Marilen or just Len. I am going to use this as a middle name and not sure if there is a need to put an accent over the second "e" to secure the spanish pronunciation... they do that for Penelope as well.

Elena is also my name and I really love it !!! I am a huge vampire diaries fan and in vampire diaries, Nina dobrev is olaying Elena Gilbert. So am obessed with my name. In every country they pronounciate this name different and actually that is what makes this name more super!

Nicknames for Elena: | Edit

Leni, Lanie, Lena, Ellie, Elle, Ella, Len, El

Meanings and history of the name Elena: | Edit

Spanish spelling of the Greek Helene (made most famous by Helen of Troy). Means "light" or "light bearer" and carries overtones of "shining" and associations with beauty.

Famous real-life people named Elena: | Edit

Elena Anaya, actress
Elena Furiase, Spanish actress
Elena Garro, Mexican writer
Elena "Ellie" Goulding, English singer-songwriter
Elena Kagan, U.S Supreme Court Justice
Elena Paparizou, Greek singer/ international star
Elena Poniatowska, journalist
Elena Serova, Russian cosmonaut
Elena Souliotis, famous opera singer

Elena in song, story & screen: | Edit

Elena Mendola, female love interest in the Italian movie Cinema Paradiso
Elena de la Vega (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones), female love interest in the movie The Mask of Zorro
Elena Michaels, the female werewolf in Kelley Armstong's Women of the Otherworld book series
Elena Gilbert, the female main character in the book and TV series The Vampire Diaries
Elena Delgado an FBI agent on Without A Trace and husband of Danny Taylor.
Elena Fisher is a main character (journalist/treasure hunter) in the "Uncharted" video game series.