Helen
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- HEL-en
- Origin
- Greek
- UK rank, 2025
- #732 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #461 for girls
Timeless
Helen is a girls' name of Greek origin. In 2025 it ranked 732nd for girls in the UK (55 babies) and 461st for girls in the US (668 babies).
What does Helen mean?
Greek: from Greek Helene
Helen of Troy, whose flight with Paris sparked the Trojan War, was said to be the most beautiful woman in the world.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Helen a girl's or a boy's name?
Helen is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 55 girls in the UK and 668 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Helen in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #732among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 55about 1 in 5,100 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 20% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 55 girls in the UK were named Helen, making it the 732nd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 762nd. Its busiest year was 1996, with 476 girls.
2025 had more girls named Helen than any year since 2019.
Half of all the girls named Helen in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2009. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Among girls in 2025, it was 705th in England and Wales and 780th in Scotland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#57), 1914 (#60), 1924 (#62), 1934 (#63), 1944 (#45), 1954 (#22), 1964 (#8), 1974 (#8), 1984 (#21) and 1994 (#80).
Helen in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 55 | #732 |
| 2024 | 46 | #856 |
| 2023 | 39 | #969 |
| 2022 | 45 | #847 |
| 2021 | 50 | #805 |
| 2020 | 53 | #762 |
| 2019 | 55 | #760 |
| 2018 | 66 | #669 |
| 2017 | 71 | #646 |
| 2016 | 71 | #649 |
| 2015 | 57 | #748 |
| 2014 | 62 | #699 |
| 2013 | 73 | #613 |
| 2012 | 69 | #660 |
| 2011 | 67 | #654 |
| 2010 | 73 | #604 |
| 2009 | 81 | #533 |
| 2008 | 108 | #437 |
| 2007 | 102 | #442 |
| 2006 | 109 | #411 |
| 2005 | 126 | #353 |
| 2004 | 153 | #305 |
| 2003 | 154 | #294 |
| 2002 | 155 | #284 |
| 2001 | 193 | #237 |
| 2000 | 245 | #197 |
| 1999 | 291 | #170 |
| 1998 | 361 | #142 |
| 1997 | 424 | #132 |
| 1996 | 476 | #105 |
How popular is Helen in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #461among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 668about 1 in 2,400 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 2% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 668 girls in the US were named Helen, making it the 461st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 426th. Its busiest year was 1918, with 36,148 girls.
2025 had fewer girls named Helen than any year since 1881.
Half of all the girls named Helen in the US since 1880 were born between 1916 and 1937, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 780 girls in the US were given Helen or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #423, up from #461 for this spelling alone.
- Helen 668
- Hellen 112
Helen in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 668 | #461 |
| 2024 | 728 | #425 |
| 2023 | 777 | #395 |
| 2022 | 749 | #422 |
| 2021 | 704 | #443 |
| 2020 | 721 | #426 |
| 2019 | 743 | #428 |
| 2018 | 745 | #415 |
| 2017 | 764 | #418 |
| 2016 | 816 | #409 |
| 2015 | 767 | #419 |
| 2014 | 802 | #403 |
| 2013 | 740 | #411 |
| 2012 | 772 | #403 |
| 2011 | 731 | #429 |
| 2010 | 705 | #436 |
| 2009 | 826 | #388 |
| 2008 | 885 | #368 |
| 2007 | 932 | #349 |
| 2006 | 949 | #348 |
| 2005 | 961 | #333 |
| 2004 | 861 | #364 |
| 2003 | 783 | #392 |
| 2002 | 875 | #341 |
| 2001 | 884 | #344 |
| 2000 | 891 | #345 |
| 1999 | 841 | #356 |
| 1998 | 832 | #348 |
| 1997 | 812 | #345 |
| 1996 | 900 | #312 |
| 1995 | 837 | #325 |
| 1994 | 849 | #321 |
| 1993 | 867 | #307 |
| 1992 | 828 | #326 |
| 1991 | 774 | #340 |
| 1990 | 863 | #316 |
| 1989 | 858 | #305 |
| 1988 | 774 | #321 |
| 1987 | 816 | #297 |
| 1986 | 766 | #311 |
| 1985 | 808 | #301 |
| 1984 | 858 | #281 |
| 1983 | 844 | #278 |
| 1982 | 876 | #279 |
| 1981 | 899 | #275 |
| 1980 | 914 | #272 |
| 1979 | 879 | #278 |
| 1978 | 925 | #255 |
| 1977 | 994 | #249 |
| 1976 | 943 | #250 |
| 1975 | 1,059 | #229 |
| 1974 | 1,140 | #225 |
| 1973 | 1,137 | #221 |
| 1972 | 1,241 | #225 |
| 1971 | 1,440 | #209 |
| 1970 | 1,718 | #191 |
| 1969 | 1,858 | #175 |
| 1968 | 1,884 | #173 |
| 1967 | 2,157 | #158 |
| 1966 | 2,447 | #144 |
| 1965 | 2,800 | #137 |
| 1964 | 3,100 | #132 |
| 1963 | 3,338 | #124 |
| 1962 | 3,586 | #128 |
| 1961 | 3,858 | #119 |
| 1960 | 4,071 | #117 |
| 1959 | 4,375 | #108 |
| 1958 | 4,772 | #100 |
| 1957 | 5,019 | #95 |
| 1956 | 5,278 | #90 |
| 1955 | 5,592 | #78 |
| 1954 | 5,947 | #72 |
| 1953 | 6,123 | #65 |
| 1952 | 6,464 | #63 |
| 1951 | 6,949 | #54 |
| 1950 | 7,061 | #50 |
| 1949 | 7,707 | #46 |
| 1948 | 8,301 | #40 |
| 1947 | 8,979 | #38 |
| 1946 | 8,852 | #36 |
| 1945 | 8,301 | #31 |
| 1944 | 8,696 | #31 |
| 1943 | 9,800 | #28 |
| 1942 | 10,016 | #26 |
| 1941 | 9,887 | #24 |
| 1940 | 10,203 | #18 |
| 1939 | 10,420 | #16 |
| 1938 | 10,837 | #13 |
| 1937 | 11,453 | #12 |
| 1936 | 12,234 | #11 |
| 1935 | 12,785 | #10 |
| 1934 | 14,100 | #9 |
| 1933 | 14,644 | #8 |
| 1932 | 16,376 | #8 |
| 1931 | 17,664 | #6 |
| 1930 | 19,913 | #4 |
| 1929 | 20,983 | #4 |
| 1928 | 22,937 | #4 |
| 1927 | 25,316 | #4 |
| 1926 | 26,886 | #4 |
| 1925 | 29,173 | #4 |
| 1924 | 31,194 | #3 |
| 1923 | 31,486 | #3 |
| 1922 | 32,510 | #3 |
| 1921 | 34,822 | #3 |
| 1920 | 35,097 | #3 |
| 1919 | 33,706 | #2 |
| 1918 | 36,148 | #2 |
| 1917 | 34,251 | #2 |
| 1916 | 32,661 | #2 |
| 1915 | 30,866 | #2 |
| 1914 | 23,221 | #2 |
| 1913 | 18,888 | #2 |
| 1912 | 16,133 | #2 |
| 1911 | 11,801 | #2 |
| 1910 | 10,479 | #2 |
| 1909 | 9,250 | #2 |
| 1908 | 8,439 | #2 |
| 1907 | 7,579 | #2 |
| 1906 | 7,176 | #2 |
| 1905 | 6,811 | #2 |
| 1904 | 6,488 | #2 |
| 1903 | 6,129 | #2 |
| 1902 | 5,967 | #2 |
| 1901 | 5,247 | #2 |
| 1900 | 6,342 | #2 |
| 1899 | 5,048 | #3 |
| 1898 | 5,230 | #3 |
| 1897 | 4,519 | #3 |
| 1896 | 4,392 | #3 |
| 1895 | 4,023 | #3 |
| 1894 | 3,676 | #4 |
| 1893 | 3,249 | #6 |
| 1892 | 2,936 | #9 |
| 1891 | 2,417 | #9 |
| 1890 | 2,312 | #12 |
| 1889 | 1,909 | #17 |
| 1888 | 1,847 | #16 |
| 1887 | 1,405 | #21 |
| 1886 | 1,267 | #25 |
| 1885 | 1,134 | #28 |
| 1884 | 986 | #33 |
| 1883 | 862 | #35 |
| 1882 | 838 | #31 |
| 1881 | 612 | #43 |
| 1880 | 636 | #35 |
Nicknames for Helen
Names like Helen
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Georgia Ellen Alice Sophie Charlotte Hazel Anna Emma Sarah Elizabeth Lucy Harriet
Other spellings of Helen
Names related to Helen
More Greek names
Luca Theodore Sophia George Theo Lucas Sofia Alexander Sebastian Penelope Phoebe Margot Luke Chloe Zoe Iris
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Helen: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/helen, updated 20 October 2026.