Lena

Where Lena comes from

The female name is from the Scandinavian, German and Russian pet form of Helena, Magdalena and Yelena (also spelled Elena). The river in Yakutia is from Russian Лена (Lena), from Evenki Елюенэ (Jeljujenə, “the Large River”). Compare to Yakut Өлүөнэ (Ölüöne). (Norwegian river): Probably related to Old Norse leir (“clay”) (see the references). (Town in Toten): From Old Norse lein.
— Wiktionary's entry for Lena
  • Ancient Greek
  • 2 syllables
  • Vowel-ended
Along the way
  1. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #43 among girls — 603 babies in the first year on record.
  2. 1884
    Peak, #41
    906 babies named Lena — more than any year before or since.
  3. 1973
    Lena Headey born
    British actress
  4. 1973
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #430.
  5. 1991
    Lena Meyer-Landrut born
    German singer
In the dictionary
  • A female given name from Ancient Greek.
Namesakes
  • Lena Meyer-Landrut · German singer, born 1991
  • Lena Headey · British actress, born 1973
  • Lena Horne · American singer, actress, dancer and activist, 1917–2010
  • Lena Dunham · American writer, director, actress, and producer, born 1986
  • Lena Olin · Swedish stage actress, film actress, beauty pageant contestant, actress, born 1955

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.