UK girl's name
Hellen
Feminine name of Greek origin meaning "bright" or "shining one".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2022. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Hellen is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Hellen popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2022 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5669, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2019, with 6 births.
This profile covers 13 England and Wales registrations across 3 recorded years from 2017 to 2022. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 50% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 13 living people in the UK are called Hellen. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2023 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Hellen ranked #5669 for girls in England and Wales in 2022, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2019, when 6 girls were registered as Hellen.
- • About 13 living people in the UK are estimated to have Hellen as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5669
2022
Births in 2022
3
Latest year
Peak year
2019
6 births
Estimated living
13
2026
Meaning
What does Hellen mean?
The name Hellen has its origins in the Greek language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek word "Helene," which means "bright" or "shining one." The name was popular in ancient Greece and was associated with beauty and radiance.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Hellen can be found in Greek mythology. Helen of Troy, also known as Helen of Sparta, was a legendary figure whose extraordinary beauty was said to have caused the Trojan War. According to the Iliad, an epic poem attributed to Homer, Helen was the daughter of Zeus and Leda, and her abduction by Paris of Troy sparked a decade-long conflict between the Greeks and Trojans.
In the 4th century BCE, Hellen was the name of a philosopher and mathematician from Cyzicus, a city in ancient Greece. She is credited with being one of the first female mathematicians and is known for her work on the Delian problem, which involved doubling the volume of a cube using only a straight edge and compass.
During the Renaissance period, Hellen was the name of a prominent Italian painter and poet. Hellen Sirani (1638-1665) was a celebrated artist from Bologna, known for her religious paintings and portraits. She was one of the first women to be admitted to the Accademia di San Luca, a prestigious art academy in Rome.
In the 19th century, Hellen Keller (1880-1968) was an American author, political activist, and lecturer who was the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor's degree. Despite her disabilities, she became a renowned advocate for people with disabilities and a champion of social justice.
Another notable figure with the name Hellen was Hellen Wills Moody (1905-1998), an American tennis player who won numerous Grand Slam titles in the 1920s and 1930s. She was a dominant force in women's tennis and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1959.
These are just a few examples of the rich history and notable individuals associated with the name Hellen. While the name has its roots in ancient Greece, it has transcended time and cultures, leaving an indelible mark on various fields throughout history.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Hellen over time
The chart below shows babies named Hellen registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2017 to 2022. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Hellen, the clearest high point is 2019. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2022, compared with 6 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hellen by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Hellen was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #5669 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010s | #4152 | 10 | 2 |
Related
Names similar to Hellen
- Hannah 67,635
- Holly 52,307
- Harriet 24,781
- Hollie 17,902
- Harper 15,784
- Heidi 12,675
- Hallie 9,873
- Hope 9,414
- Hayley 5,968
- Hazel 5,954
- Hanna 5,735
- Heather 5,497
FAQ
Hellen: questions and answers
How popular is the name Hellen in the UK right now?
In 2022, Hellen was ranked #5669 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Hellen most popular?
The peak year on record was 2019, with 6 babies registered as Hellen in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Hellen?
Feminine name of Greek origin meaning "bright" or "shining one".
How many people are called Hellen in the UK?
A total of 13 babies have been registered as Hellen across the 3 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.