Meaning: Its source is Helene, a Greek name meaning "Sun ray."

Languages: This girl's name is used in Italian, Spanish, Czech, Bulgarian and Romanian.

Nicknames: Nelli and Al'ona

Compound Forms: Mariaelena and MaElena

Variant Forms: Elina and Ellena

Popularity: The name Elena ranked 222nd in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 412th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.

Narrative: This name might refer to a Greek person, a ''Hellene.''

The sources of its popularity balance between a saint and a sinner.

On one hand, there is St. Helena, mother to Constantine the Great, whose purity allowed her to discover the True Cross. On the opposite hand, there is the notorious Helen of Troy, whose adulterous flight in the arms of the Trojan prince Paris ''launched a thousand ships'' (in the words of Christopher Marlowe) and started the bloody Trojan War.

The image of the latter Helen's bewitching beauty has lasted through the ages. In a film version of Marlowe's 16th-century play Faustus, the devil offers Helen (portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor) to the title character in exchange for his soul. Faustus swiftly agrees to the bargain.