Where does the name Lena come from?

Lena is a girl name of Greek origin.

Is Lena a boy or a girl name?

Lena is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 144,155 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.

How popular is the name Lena in 2023?

Lena ranks #270 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1917 with 3,004 babies.

How do you pronounce Lena?

Lena is pronounced LEH-nah (2 syllables).

What are common spellings of Lena?

Lena is also written as Lena, Lina, Léna.

A name from Greek · Girl

Lena

A short form of names ending in -lena — Helena, Magdalena, Yelena, Selena. Sometimes additionally tied to the Siberian river Lena, from an Evenk word for "the great river."

Compare

Popularity over time

A 143-year arc in numbers.

144,155 U.S. births recorded from 1880–2023.

Popularity · 1880–2023

1,157 births in 2023

1880 1951 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

LA short form of names ending in -lena — Helena, Magdalena, Yelena, Selena. Sometimes additionally tied to the Siberian river Lena, from an Evenk word for "the great river."

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Lena".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Lena Most common Lina Léna

Quick answers

People often ask about Lena.

What does the name Lena mean?: Lena means a short form of names ending in -lena — Helena, Magdalena, Yelena, Selena. Sometimes additionally tied to the Siberian river Lena, from an Evenk word for "the great river.".
Where does the name Lena come from?: Lena is a girl name of Greek origin.
Is Lena a boy or a girl name?: Lena is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 144,155 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.
How popular is the name Lena in 2023?: Lena ranks #270 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1917 with 3,004 babies.
How do you pronounce Lena?: Lena is pronounced LEH-nah (2 syllables).
What are common spellings of Lena?: Lena is also written as Lena, Lina, Léna.

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About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.