Girl name · Greek
Lena
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: short form of Helena or MagdalenaLena is a girl's name that is of Greek origin: short form of Helena or Magdalena. It is used in German.
- Meaning
- Short form of Helena or Magdalena
- Origin
- Greek
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #279 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Lena
As a girl's name, Lena is of Greek origin: short form of Helena or Magdalena. It is used in German.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
How popular is Lena?
- US rank in 2025
- #279
- 1,106 babies, 688 per million girls
- Best rank
- #41 in 1884
- Most babies: 3,004 in 1917
- Babies since 1880
- At least 146,479
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 6,621 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 5,623 per million |
| 1900s | 4,339 per million |
| 1910s | 2,896 per million |
| 1920s | 1,911 per million |
| 1930s | 988 per million |
| 1940s | 509 per million |
| 1950s | 298 per million |
| 1960s | 284 per million |
| 1970s | 303 per million |
| 1980s | 267 per million |
| 1990s | 249 per million |
| 2000s | 330 per million |
| 2010s | 601 per million |
| 2020s | 713 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #275 | #303 | #302 | #267 | #271 | #294 | #254 | #270 | #262 | #279 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Lena
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- LunaThe moon (Latin, girl)
- LeonaLioness (Greek, girl)
- LeiaForm of Leah; Princess Leia in Star Wars (Hebrew, girl)
- LeaGerman form of Leah (Hebrew, girl)
- LeraShort form of Valeriya, to be strong (Latin, girl)
- LinaShort form of names ending in -lina, such as Carolina and Paulina (Latin, girl)
- LisaGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- LiaItalian, Portuguese and Greek form of Leah (Hebrew, girl)
- LeilaNight, from Arabic layl (Arabic, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- AlinaShort form of Adelina, Albina and names ending in -alina (Germanic, girl)
- LiamShort for William, will helmet (Germanic, boy)
- MilanGracious, dear; a short form of Slavic Mil- names (Slavic, unisex)
- EllaShort form of names such as Elisabeth and Eleonore (Germanic, girl)
- NorahVariant of Nora, short form of Honora or Eleanor (Latin, girl)
- XanderShort form of Alexander, defender of men (Greek, boy)
- AnyaShort form of Anna, grace (Hebrew, girl)
- AstaShort form of Astrid, divinely beautiful (Old Norse, girl)
- BellaShort form of Isabella; also Italian for beautiful (Hebrew, girl)
- BrielleShort form of Gabrielle, God is my strength (Hebrew, girl)
- DashaShort form of Darya, holding firm the good (Persian, girl)
- DimaShort form of Dmitri, devoted to Demeter (Greek, boy)
- DunyaShort form of Yevdokiya, goodwill (Greek, girl)
- FedyaShort form of Fyodor, gift of God (Greek, boy)
- FemiGod loves me, short for Olufemi (Yoruba, unisex)
Middle names for Lena
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Greek
- AlexandraDefender of men (Greek, girl)
- ElenaForm of Helen, probably from Greek torch (Greek, girl)
- IrenePeace, tranquility (Greek, girl)
- IrisA rainbow (Greek, girl)
- SofiaWisdom, skill (Greek, girl)
- SophieWisdom, skill (Greek, girl)
- ZoeLife, living (Greek, girl)
- AnastasiaResurrection, rising again (Greek, girl)
- ChristinaFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
- NicoleVictory of the people (Greek, girl)
- PetraRock, stone (Greek, girl)
- RitaA pearl (Greek, girl)
- AgnesPure, chaste (Greek, girl)
- AngelaMessenger, angel (Greek, girl)
- BarbaraForeign woman (Greek, girl)
- ChloeGreen shoot (Greek, girl)
- ClioGlory (Greek, girl)
- CorinnaMaiden (Greek, girl)
Lena: common questions
What does the name Lena mean?
Lena is of Greek origin: short form of Helena or Magdalena.
Is Lena a boy or girl name?
Lena is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Lena come from?
Lena is of Greek origin: short form of Helena or Magdalena. Today it is used in German.
How popular is the name Lena?
Lena ranked #279 in the US in 2025, with 1,106 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Lena?
Names spelled like Lena include Luna, Leona, Leia, Lea and Lera.
What middle names go with Lena?
Middle names that flow well with Lena include Aurora, Briar, Brooke, Isabella and Olivia. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.