Yelena is the Russian form of Helen, from the Greek Helene, usually explained as "torch" or "bright light". Pole-vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva carried the name onto the world stage, and the Marvel character Yelena Belova, introduced in Black Widow in 2021, gave it a pop-culture boost. Yelena stood at number 3913 in 2015, peaked at number 1504 in 2022 and ranks 1807 in 2025.