Lena
Girl nameLena has been given to 146,805 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1917 and currently ranks #279 for girls (2025).
Meaning & origin /ˈlɛ.nə/
The female name is from the Scandinavian, German and Russian pet form of Helena, Magdalena and Yelena (also spelled Elena). The river in Yakutia is from Russian Лена (Lena), from Evenki Елюенэ (Jeljujenə, “the Large River”). Compare to Yakut Өлүөнэ (Ölüöne). (Norwegian river): Probably related to Old Norse leir (“clay”) (see the references). (Town in Toten): From Old Norse lein.
Origin: Ancient Greek
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
146,805
Peak year
1917 (3,015 babies)
Rank in 2025
#279 for girls
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -5%
Gender split
100% girls / 0% boys
Famous people named Lena
Lena Meyer-Landrut
German singer (born 1991)
Lena Headey
British actress (born 1973)
Lena Horne
American singer, actress, dancer and activist (1917–2010)
Lena Dunham
American writer, director, actress, and producer (born 1986)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Lena.
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