Girls' name · peaked in 1884
Helena name popularity since 1925
32,064 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Helena. Half of them were born in 1997 or earlier, so the typical Helena is about 29 years old in 2026. Helena peaked in 1884 as the #201 name for girls, and it ranked #363 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 32,064
- Named Helena, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1884
- #201 for girls that year
- In 2025
- #363
- for girls in 2025 (841 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 100.0% girls
- 32,064 girls · 0 boys
- Most popular in
- Massachusetts
- 2.18× its national share
Peak year is the year Helena made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Helena births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 2025. Measured as a share of all babies, Helena peaked earlier, in 1884.
- Steepest fall: Between 1982 and 1987, Helena's share of baby girls fell by 34%, from 1 in 6,940 to 1 in 10,500.
- Fastest rise: Between 1991 and 1996, it became 1.9× more common, from 1 in 9,570 baby girls to 1 in 5,010.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Helena's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Helena.
Decade by decade
Babies named Helena in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 1,417 | – |
| 1930s | 2,035 | #462 |
| 1940s | 2,066 | #551 |
| 1950s | 2,273 | #643 |
| 1960s | 2,342 | #594 |
| 1970s | 2,018 | #721 |
| 1980s | 2,014 | #859 |
| 1990s | 2,859 | #637 |
| 2000s | 5,013 | #542 |
| 2010s | 5,882 | #535 |
| 2020–25 | 4,145 | #363 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
26.4% of babies named Helena from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where Helena is most popular
The index compares Helena's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Helena.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 2.18× | 1,419 |
| New Jersey | 1.67× | 1,262 |
| Maryland | 1.64× | 684 |
| New York | 1.59× | 3,298 |
| Virginia | 1.47× | 906 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Helena's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Helena.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Helena (1884).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data