Helen

English form of the Greek Ἑλένη (Helene), probably from Greek ἑλένη (helene) meaning “torch,” though it may also be related to σελήνη (selene) meaning “moon.” In Greek mythology, Helen was the daughter of Zeus and Leda, and her abduction by Paris was said to have caused the Trojan War. The name was also borne by Saint Helena, mother of the Roman emperor Constantine, who supposedly found the True Cross on a journey to Jerusalem, and it was first used among early Christians in her honour rather than for the classical figure. In England the name was commonly spelled Ellen in the Middle Ages, while Helen did not come into regular use until after the Renaissance. A notable bearer was Helen Keller (1880–1968), the American author and lecturer who was both blind and deaf.

Helen moved from #425 to #462 for girls between 2024 and 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 1918, with 36,148 births.