Lena is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Lena means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Lena across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Lena has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Lena is a girl name of Greek origin meaning “of uncertain meaning, linked to light”. a short form of Helena or Magdalena.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 146,805 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 5,567 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 654 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 206 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 1,301 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Lena per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1917 (3,015/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2013 (427/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2012 (99/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2014 (51/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2014 (17/yr).
Lena has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1917, when it ranked #142 nationally (given to 3,015 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1910s.
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