Yelena
Feminine form of the Greek name Eleni meaning "bright, shining light".
Name Census estimates that about 1,490 living Americans carry the first name Yelena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yelena today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yelena births was 2022 (145 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yelena. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Yelena with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Yelena is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 16 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.5K
~ 1 in 230,036 Americans
Peak year
2022
145 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,497
Tracked since 1961
Census
Yelena in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 11,371 people with the first name Yelena, which placed it at #2,278 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#2,278
National first-name rank
People counted
11K
11,371 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
3.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
89.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yelena
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Yelena is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Yelena described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Yelena at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 10,140
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 835
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 144
- Two or more races1.2% · 142
- Black or African American0.9% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Popularity
Yelena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yelena from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 480 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Yelena remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yelena by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Yelena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yelenas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Yelena, while New Mexico, Illinois, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 50 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Yelena
The name Yelena has its origins in the Greek language. It is a feminine form of the name Eleni, which is derived from the Greek word "helene," meaning "bright one" or "torch." This name can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it was associated with the concept of light and radiance.
The name Yelena gained popularity in various Slavic countries, particularly in Russia and Ukraine, where it was adapted with a slight variation in spelling. In these regions, the name was often written as "Elena" or "Yelena," and it held cultural and linguistic significance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Yelena can be found in the Byzantine Empire, where Saint Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, was venerated as a significant figure in early Christianity. She played a crucial role in the establishment of the Christian faith and was renowned for her piety and devotion.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Yelena. One of the most famous was Yelena Sergeyevna Bulgakova (1893-1970), a Russian writer and the third wife of the acclaimed novelist Mikhail Bulgakov. Her memoirs and letters provided valuable insights into the life and work of her husband.
Another prominent figure was Yelena Konstantinovna Chukovskaya (1909-1996), a Soviet writer and dissident. She courageously spoke out against Stalin's regime and documented the horrors of the Gulag labor camps, preserving the memory of those who suffered under the oppressive system.
In the realm of sports, Yelena Isinbayeva (born 1982) is a Russian pole vaulter who has won numerous Olympic and World Championship titles. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes in her discipline and has set numerous world records throughout her career.
Another notable figure is Yelena Bonner (1923-2011), a human rights activist and the wife of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov. She tirelessly advocated for human rights and democracy in the Soviet Union, often facing government persecution for her outspoken views.
Finally, Yelena Khanga (1957-2015) was a renowned Russian actress who graced both the stage and the silver screen. She was celebrated for her versatility and her ability to portray complex characters with depth and nuance.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have carried the name Yelena throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural and historical significance associated with this name.
People
Yelena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yelena as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yelena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yelena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,490 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yelena going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 230,036 US residents.
Is Yelena a common name?
We classify Yelena as "Rare". It ranks above 92.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,514 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yelena most popular?
The single biggest year for Yelena was 2022, when 145 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yelena is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Yelena in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 11,371 people with the name Yelena, or 3.76 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,278 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Yelena in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Yelena?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Yelena appears almost entirely female. Of the 11,377 people counted with this name, 99.9% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Yelena?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Yelena is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Yelena most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Yelena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (10,140 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Yelena in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yelena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yelena in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Yelena still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yelena in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Yelena can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Yelena?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.