Lena carries 145,356 cumulative American girls on SSA record and currently sits at rank 263, with a 1917 peak that placed her solidly inside the top 100 during the early 20th century. The chart shows two distinct American eras: a long Edwardian and immigrant-era heyday, a midcentury fade, and a steady 21st-century revival that has held the name comfortably in the top 300 since 2008.
Multiple Greek and Slavic roots
Lena traces through several streams. Most often it is read as a short form of Helena (Greek, meaning bright or shining), Magdalena (the Mary Magdalene tradition), or Yelena (the Russian Helena). In Slavic languages, Lena also stands as a fully independent given name, and the Lena River in Siberia carries the same spelling without etymological connection.
The American version arrived primarily through European immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: German, Scandinavian, Polish, and Russian families all brought the name into US records, which is why the early-1900s peak was so strong.
The Lena Horne anchor and the modern revival
Singer and civil-rights icon Lena Horne (1917-2010) anchored the name across most of the 20th century, giving it a sophisticated, jazz-era register that endured well past her active recording years. More recently, writer-director Lena Dunham (Girls, 2012-2017) and German actress Lena Olin (Chocolat, 2000) kept the name in continuous mainstream visibility.
Lena fits cleanly inside the short, vowel-friendly girls' cluster that has dominated 21st-century American naming: Mia, Ava, Nora, and Iris all share the same compact, internationally portable register. Browse the broader Greek girl names set or compare with Nora, which shares the same compact, vintage-revival profile.
The counter-reading
The pronunciation fork is the main practical issue. American English typically says LEE-nuh, but German, Russian, and Eastern European speakers often default to LAY-nuh, and the bearer will negotiate that fork her entire life. Both pronunciations are correct in their own traditions; neither is more authentic than the other.
Sibling pairings work across short-vowel territory: Lena and Mia, Lena and Iris, Lena and Nora, Lena and Ada. Middle names tend traditional and slightly longer to balance the brisk first: Lena Rose, Lena Jane, Lena Catherine, Lena Elizabeth. See similar revivals on the rising names list, or browse the broader L girl names page for related options.