Helena
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Origin of the name Helena:
Cognate of the Greek Helenē, which is derived from the root ēlē (light, torch, bright). The name is borne in Greek legend by the beautiful wife of the king of Sparta. Her abduction by the Trojan prince Paris sparked off the Trojan War.
From A World of Baby Names by Teresa Norman. Buy the bookDoes Helena sound...
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- Nicknames for Helena: | Edit
Lena
Helen
Leni
Nellie
Nell
Hel
Len
Ellie
Ella
Ellen
Lenchen- Meanings and history of the name Helena: | Edit
Latinate form of HELEN.
Derived from the Greek ‘Ελενη (Helene), probably from Greek ‘ελενη (helene) "torch" or "corposant", or possibly related to σεληνη (selene) "moon". In Greek mythology Helen was the daughter of Zeus and Leda, whose kidnapping by Paris was the cause of the Trojan War.
The name was also borne by the 4th-century Saint Helena, mother of the Roman emperor Constantine, who supposedly found the True Cross during a trip to Jerusalem.
The name was originally used among early Christians in honour of the saint, as opposed to the classical character. In England it was commonly spelled Ellen during the Middle Ages, and the spelling Helen was not regularly used until after the Renaissance.
- Famous real-life people named Helena: | Edit
Helena, Roman Empress and mother of Emperor Constantine
Helena, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (daughter of Queen Victoria)
Helena Bonham-Carter, actress
Helena Christensen, model
Helena Norberg-Hodge, Swedish linguist and writer- Helena in song, story & screen: | Edit
Helena (1950 novel), by Evelyn Waugh
"Helena Justina," love interest/heroine in the Falco books by Lindsay Davis
"Helena," Song by My Chemical Romance
Helena is a small girl's name in a book I read called 'The Riddle Of Raven's Gulch'.
Helena Wayne / Helena Bertinelli, "The Huntress," of DC Comics, the daughter of Bruce Wayne, the latter, an ally of Batman (Bruce Wayne)
"Helena", song by The Misfits
NameVoyager US Popularity of Helena Over Time
NameMapper Current Popularity of Helena by State
Global Popularity of the Name Helena
- #30 in Iceland
- #70 in Germany
- #76 in Spain
- #99 in Norway
- #100 in Belgium
- #220 in Canada (British Columbia)
- #238 in Canada (Alberta)
- #322 in Scotland
- #391 in Canada (Quebec)
- #612 in United States
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