Elena is the Spanish, Italian and Slavic form of Helen, the Greek Helene, which is usually explained as "torch" or "bright light". Helen of Troy made the name legendary, and Saint Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, carried it into the Christian era. In the United States Elena ranked number 234 in 2000, entered the top 100 in 2016 and has improved every year since to reach number 42 among girls in 2025, its best rank yet.