girl (SSA Category)Greek OriginUS Rank #462 in 2025

Helen

Alternative forms & variants: Elena, Helena

Verified Meaning & Etymology

“Torch, radiant light, shining beacon”

Linguistic heritage: Ancient Greek

Pronunciation

English Phonetic:HEL-uhn

IPA (US English):/ˈhɛlən/

Source: Carnegie Mellon Pronouncing Dictionary (en-US)

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Peak Popularity191836,148 births in peak year

2025 US Rank#462668 births in 2025

Total US Registrations1,027,307Recorded since 1880

Demographic Ratio100% FemaleBased on SSA application records

Historical US Popularity Trajectory

Annual recorded US births from 1880 to 2025 (US Social Security Administration)

Peak US Popularity1918 (36,148 births)

Earliest RecordYear 1880

Recent 2025 Level668 births

Data source: United States Social Security Administration (1880–2025). The SSA privacy policy suppresses counts under 5. Data indicates biological sex entered on Social Security applications.

Names Similar to Helen

Calculated deterministically based on shared linguistic origins, styling, and popularity tier.

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Source Citations & Review Provenance

Demographic Data:

United States Social Security Administration (SSA) National Data (1880–2025). Counts reflect 100% of Social Security card applications where year, sex, and state of birth are recorded.

Linguistic Derivation:

Meanings cross-referenced with Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Nurturepedia (MIT). Phonetics audited against the Carnegie Mellon University Pronouncing Dictionary (BSD).

Last reviewed by editorial check: 2026-10-28Submit a factual correction or inquiry →