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Lena as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Lena

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The baby name Lena is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced LEE-nah (ˈliːnə),LAY-nah (ˈleɪnə).

Lena is Arabic, German, Greek, Scandinavian, Slavic in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Arabic, German, Greek, Scandinavian, Slavic
Pronunciation: LEE-nah (ˈliːnə),LAY-nah (ˈleɪnə)

What is the meaning of the name Lena ?

The baby name Lena is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced LEE-nah (ˈliːnə),LAY-nah (ˈleɪnə).

Lena is Arabic, German, Greek, Scandinavian, Slavic in Origin.

Lena is a pan-European diminutive formed from Greek-rooted Helena/Elena (from helene “torch, blaze”), hence the widely cited meaning “light” or “bright one.” In many traditions it can also abbreviate Magdalena (“woman from Magdala,” often glossed “tower”), and in Slavic languages Lena stands for Yelena. Because of cross‑linguistic overlap with Lina/Leena, some communities also associate Lena with the sense “tender” or “soft,” though that etymology is secondary.

Recorded across German-speaking lands, Scandinavia, and the Russian Empire from the 17th–18th centuries, the name spread in the 19th century and entered English-speaking use via European migration. Today Lena is common yet international, ranking well in Germany, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe while remaining familiar in North America. Variants and related forms include Léna (French, Hungarian), Leena (Finnish), Lenka (Czech/Slovak), Leni (pet form), and the cognates Helena, Elena, Jelena/Yelena, Alena, and Magdalena; affectionate shapes like Lenochka and Lenusya appear in Russian.

Lena has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Lena

Lena Meyer-Landrut Musician · Born 1991 · Germany Lena Meyer-Landrut is a German musician best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 2010 with her hit song 'Satellite'. She has released several albums, including 'My Cassette Player' and 'Stardust', and continues to be a prominent figure in the European music scene. Magdalena Neuner Athlete · Born 1987 · Germany Lena Neuner, later known as Magdalena Holzer, is best known as a retired German biathlete and one of the sport’s all-time greats. She became the most successful woman ever at the Biathlon World Championships and also won two Olympic gold medals. Lena Raine Musician · Born 1984 · United States Lena Raine is an American composer, producer, and video game developer best known for creating music for Minecraft, Celeste, and Guild Wars 2. She has also been known as Lena Chappelle or Kuraine.
Lena Park Musician · Born 1976 · United States Lena Park is a South Korean-American singer best known for her powerful vocals and her successful music career in South Korea. She debuted in 1998 with the album Piece and became widely loved for her petite stature, strong voice, and the nickname "national fairy."

Celebrity babies named Lena

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Lena Bergman Ingmar Bergman film director ★★★★★
Lena Konchalovskaya Andrei Konchalovsky film director ★★★★★

Lena – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2025 #1 — 874
Germany Girls 2025 #1 — 411
Austria Girls 2024 #7 433 60
FJ Girls 0 #9 1 583
KR Girls 0 #15 1 572
MV 0 #19 1 644
HT Girls 0 #23 1 950
MD 0 #23 12 434
Switzerland Girls 2024 #24 167 1,786
NL Girls 2014 #25 124 73
GR Girls 0 #26 577 6,293
EE 0 #30 8 1,051
BI Girls 0 #33 1 726
NA 0 #33 1 2,537
TM Girls 0 #33 3 574
MV Girls 0 #34 2 2,021
RU Girls 0 #34 6,096 11,913
ID 0 #35 5 2,238
TM Boys 0 #36 1 614
MD Girls 0 #37 100 865
AZ 0 #42 2 706
GE 0 #42 3 997
MO 0 #43 10 2,706
PS Girls 0 #47 1,541 10,981
Belgium Girls 2024 #51 158 424
RU 0 #52 259 3,641
Iceland Girls 0 #53 10 132
CY 0 #56 5 1,632
Germany Girls 0 #56 8,255 4,949
LU 0 #57 10 2,830
CY Girls 0 #58 68 3,755
LU Girls 0 #61 154 4,850
IL Girls 0 #62 2,083 11,648
Austria Girls 0 #63 1,425 1,885
AZ Girls 0 #63 12 1,051
GE Girls 0 #66 40 1,564
KZ 0 #66 26 1,452
AO 0 #67 10 2,729
ID Girls 0 #69 30 3,319
JP 0 #69 9 4,057
AL 0 #70 7 2,372
GR 0 #70 71 3,911
Germany 0 #72 831 2,542
SI 0 #73 8 1,612
AF 0 #76 1 1,883
KZ Girls 0 #77 630 5,862
Canada Girls 2024 #78 288 2,795
BG 0 #79 4 1,799
CN 0 #80 7 3,857
LT 0 #81 8 949
SI Girls 0 #82 108 2,769
RS 0 #83 2 923
EE Girls 0 #85 56 1,888
JO Girls 0 #87 714 7,570
DK Girls 0 #88 475 7,429
TW 0 #88 13 4,523
AF Girls 0 #90 5 2,402
SD 0 #90 11 2,130
JM 0 #93 1 3,714
RS Girls 0 #93 45 1,651
BN Girls 0 #97 10 5,459
PL Girls 0 #100 1,470 5,096
QA 0 #103 4 7,011
IQ Girls 0 #104 844 11,303
Austria 0 #105 126 850
LT Girls 0 #105 123 1,904
PH 0 #108 3 5,607
IQ 0 #109 21 3,533
PT Girls 0 #111 1,131 7,952
HU 0 #113 3 1,675
Norway Girls 2025 #114 13 453
AO Girls 0 #115 103 4,575
DK 0 #116 98 5,198
KW 0 #116 6 5,216
OM 0 #117 5 6,215
NA Girls 0 #121 110 7,146
PS 0 #123 98 5,692
MU 0 #126 11 3,613
JO 0 #127 11 2,158
PA 0 #137 2 3,797
BN Boys 0 #139 1 6,332
MT Girls 0 #141 11 3,773
CZ Girls 0 #143 325 5,378
AL Girls 0 #147 80 4,141
BW Girls 0 #147 5 4,216
IL 0 #147 143 6,291
SD Girls 0 #147 284 7,678
SY 0 #148 1,781 11,684
CR 0 #149 10 5,526
LT Boys 0 #151 1 2,166
Sweden Girls 2022 #154 26 1,568
RS Boys 0 #154 1 2,277
HR 0 #156 24 2,081
MU Girls 0 #156 213 8,539
AE 0 #158 20 10,220
PL 0 #158 61 2,600
CZ 0 #163 23 3,154
HR Girls 0 #174 143 3,687
PT 0 #178 71 4,161
UY 0 #181 2 2,477
SG 0 #186 84 11,010
France Girls 2021 #189 266 3,185
CN Girls 0 #190 190 8,829
Finland Girls 0 #191 292 1,368
AR 0 #193 1 2,915
BG Girls 0 #195 29 3,559
TW Girls 0 #199 79 8,139
HU Girls 0 #200 24 3,308
IR 0 #204 26 4,221
SI Boys 0 #206 6 3,402
MO Girls 0 #214 38 7,056
SA Girls 0 #214 1,201 25,931
JP Girls 0 #217 29 6,592
LU Boys 0 #219 2 4,970
IR Girls 0 #229 392 8,334
GH 0 #233 11 5,396
United States Girls 2024 #237 1,211 8,487
SG Girls 0 #238 451 18,916
BD 0 #241 1 5,992
QA Girls 0 #241 76 15,378
JM Girls 0 #244 16 7,507
BR Girls 0 #251 1,829 12,708
NA Boys 0 #251 3 6,830
Finland Girls 2026 #252 1,391 3,895
EC Girls 0 #255 4 3,650
Finland 0 #259 49 830
HR Boys 0 #259 1 3,997
SA 0 #260 36 10,560
GR Boys 0 #269 5 6,912
NG 0 #271 2 5,926
KZ Boys 0 #275 15 6,578
AL Boys 0 #289 10 5,122
MY 0 #289 42 12,352
GH Girls 0 #292 33 6,973
PE 0 #295 16 6,350
BR 0 #298 48 5,969
JP Boys 0 #303 1 7,909
CZ Boys 0 #304 2 6,530
IT Girls 0 #305 4,702 9,415
EG Girls 0 #314 1,347 14,742
LB 0 #315 447 13,263
AE Girls 0 #318 239 20,968
CN Boys 0 #330 2 9,639
GT 0 #330 9 5,948
PL Boys 0 #332 9 6,459
HK 0 #333 16 8,483
OM Girls 0 #337 60 15,987
NL 0 #341 51 2,481
YE 0 #341 41 8,639
EG 0 #352 49 6,387
KW Girls 0 #352 165 19,177
JO Boys 0 #355 23 7,057
GH Boys 0 #360 2 8,138
PH Girls 0 #364 27 13,098
MU Boys 0 #369 1 8,477
NL Girls 0 #370 892 5,933
BO 0 #371 11 6,868
PT Boys 0 #373 9 7,951
BD Girls 0 #377 10 8,413
MX 0 #401 13 8,339
ZA 0 #401 47 14,421
PH Boys 0 #408 1 11,440
Spain 0 #409 44 2,326
CL 0 #428 7 6,867
Austria Boys 0 #429 14 2,180
HK Girls 0 #429 190 16,104
ZA Girls 0 #429 1,255 25,928
LY 0 #439 97 12,703
CM Girls 0 #445 96 11,671
PA Girls 0 #448 34 9,861
RU Boys 0 #450 56 12,621
CR Girls 0 #455 78 11,342
CO 0 #458 23 7,768
SD Boys 0 #458 9 10,523
GT Girls 0 #474 32 7,500
AR Boys 0 #482 2 7,628
UY Girls 0 #488 23 6,731
BH 0 #498 56 17,937
GT Boys 0 #499 1 7,625
IT 0 #503 219 4,183
PA Boys 0 #503 3 9,305
MY Girls 0 #511 566 24,821
PS Boys 0 #520 29 10,655
BO Girls 0 #537 75 9,488
Spain Girls 0 #554 496 5,561
HK Boys 0 #555 3 12,905
AR Girls 0 #561 39 8,289
IR Boys 0 #564 2 10,162
CM Boys 0 #567 9 12,054
IL Boys 0 #578 30 10,983
IQ Boys 0 #601 67 13,071
IN Girls 0 #621 11 13,121
SG Boys 0 #683 15 17,960
CL Boys 0 #700 1 13,390
BR Boys 0 #721 31 12,213
NG Girls 0 #741 46 15,093
QA Boys 0 #742 2 18,093
KW Boys 0 #752 18 18,755
TR 0 #761 568 19,440
CL Girls 0 #786 66 14,098
PE Girls 0 #791 154 14,861
TN 0 #796 34 13,765
EG Boys 0 #831 56 15,035
MX Girls 0 #838 369 17,781
OM Boys 0 #871 11 17,948
CO Girls 0 #897 182 16,140
Germany Boys 0 #902 51 5,697
Spain Boys 0 #921 10 5,610
PE Boys 0 #925 2 14,506
NL Boys 0 #937 15 5,873
CO Boys 0 #979 3 15,656
NG Boys 0 #1,000 2 16,906
MA 0 #1,015 114 20,986
MX Boys 0 #1,029 5 16,355
IN Boys 0 #1,037 3 16,750
DZ 0 #1,057 120 20,130
AE Boys 0 #1,080 13 22,615
MY Boys 0 #1,096 16 25,439
ZA Boys 0 #1,133 46 25,619
IT Boys 0 #1,392 80 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,549 66 28,008

Lena is popular in 96 countries — most recent births per country:

Norway
NL
Ireland
Scotland, United Kingdom
Canada

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Lena

Lena is predominantly a girl's name.
Lena is a 2 syllable name, pronounced LEE-nah (ˈliːnə),LAY-nah (ˈleɪnə).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Leena, Léna, Lene, Lina, Lenka and Lenna.
Yes, very popular — Lena ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 13 countries.
Lena ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Lena's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2015 to #1 in 2025 in Ireland.
Yes — 4 notable people named Lena are in our database, including Lena Meyer-Landrut (Musician), Magdalena Neuner (Athlete), Lena Raine (Musician).
Yes — at least 2 celebrity couples have chosen Lena for their child, including Ingmar Bergman.