Helen
Helen was given to 668 girls in 2025, #462 among girls’ names; 1,027,307 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 202,000 Americans named Helen and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (20% of everyone recorded); the median is 73 years old and half are between 58 and 83.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Helen by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Helen mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Helen is “a female given name from Ancient Greek.”
From French Hélène, from Latin Helena, from Ancient Greek Ἑλένη (Helénē). Doublet of Elaine.
/ˈhɛlən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Helen?
#462 among girls’ names, 2025
Helen fell from #419 in 2015 to #462 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 0.43 to 0.42 per 1,000.
36,228 babies in 1918, the peak
Helen peaked in 1918, when 36,228 babies were given it (36,148 girls, #2 among girls’ names). The 668 births of 2025 are 2% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 668 | #462 | 0.42 |
| 2024 | 728 | #425 | 0.45 |
| 2023 | 777 | #395 | 0.48 |
| 2022 | 749 | #422 | 0.46 |
| 2021 | 704 | #444 | 0.43 |
| 2020 | 721 | #426 | 0.45 |
| 2019 | 743 | #429 | 0.44 |
| 2018 | 745 | #415 | 0.44 |
| 2017 | 764 | #418 | 0.44 |
| 2016 | 816 | #409 | 0.46 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 767 | #419 | 0.43 |
| 2014 | 802 | #403 | 0.45 |
| 2013 | 740 | #411 | 0.42 |
| 2012 | 772 | #403 | 0.44 |
| 2011 | 731 | #429 | 0.42 |
| 2010 | 705 | #436 | 0.40 |
| 2009 | 826 | #388 | 0.45 |
| 2008 | 885 | #368 | 0.47 |
| 2007 | 932 | #349 | 0.48 |
| 2006 | 949 | #348 | 0.50 |
| 2005 | 961 | #333 | 0.52 |
| 2004 | 861 | #364 | 0.47 |
| 2003 | 783 | #392 | 0.43 |
| 2002 | 875 | #341 | 0.49 |
| 2001 | 884 | #344 | 0.49 |
| 2000 | 891 | #345 | 0.49 |
| 1999 | 841 | #356 | 0.47 |
| 1998 | 832 | #349 | 0.47 |
| 1997 | 812 | #346 | 0.47 |
| 1996 | 900 | #312 | 0.51 |
| 1995 | 837 | #325 | 0.48 |
| 1994 | 849 | #321 | 0.48 |
| 1993 | 867 | #307 | 0.48 |
| 1992 | 828 | #326 | 0.45 |
| 1991 | 774 | #340 | 0.41 |
| 1990 | 863 | #317 | 0.45 |
| 1989 | 858 | #305 | 0.47 |
| 1988 | 774 | #321 | 0.43 |
| 1987 | 816 | #297 | 0.47 |
| 1986 | 766 | #312 | 0.45 |
| 1985 | 808 | #301 | 0.47 |
| 1984 | 858 | #281 | 0.51 |
| 1983 | 844 | #278 | 0.51 |
| 1982 | 876 | #279 | 0.52 |
| 1981 | 899 | #275 | 0.54 |
| 1980 | 914 | #272 | 0.55 |
| 1979 | 879 | #278 | 0.55 |
| 1978 | 925 | #255 | 0.60 |
| 1977 | 994 | #249 | 0.65 |
| 1976 | 943 | #250 | 0.64 |
| 1975 | 1,059 | #229 | 0.73 |
| 1974 | 1,140 | #225 | 0.78 |
| 1973 | 1,137 | #221 | 0.78 |
| 1972 | 1,241 | #225 | 0.82 |
| 1971 | 1,440 | #209 | 0.87 |
| 1970 | 1,718 | #191 | 1.0 |
| 1969 | 1,858 | #175 | 1.1 |
| 1968 | 1,884 | #173 | 1.1 |
| 1967 | 2,157 | #158 | 1.3 |
| 1966 | 2,447 | #144 | 1.4 |
| 1965 | 2,800 | #137 | 1.6 |
| 1964 | 3,100 | #132 | 1.6 |
| 1963 | 3,338 | #124 | 1.7 |
| 1962 | 3,586 | #128 | 1.8 |
| 1961 | 3,858 | #119 | 1.9 |
| 1960 | 4,071 | #117 | 2.0 |
| 1959 | 4,375 | #108 | 2.2 |
| 1958 | 4,772 | #100 | 2.4 |
| 1957 | 5,019 | #95 | 2.5 |
| 1956 | 5,278 | #90 | 2.6 |
| 1955 | 5,592 | #78 | 2.9 |
| 1954 | 5,947 | #72 | 3.1 |
| 1953 | 6,123 | #65 | 3.3 |
| 1952 | 6,464 | #63 | 3.5 |
| 1951 | 6,949 | #54 | 3.9 |
| 1950 | 7,061 | #50 | 4.1 |
| 1949 | 7,707 | #46 | 4.5 |
| 1948 | 8,301 | #40 | 4.9 |
| 1947 | 8,979 | #38 | 5.1 |
| 1946 | 8,852 | #36 | 5.6 |
| 1945 | 8,301 | #31 | 6.4 |
| 1944 | 8,696 | #31 | 6.6 |
| 1943 | 9,800 | #28 | 7.0 |
| 1942 | 10,016 | #26 | 7.4 |
| 1941 | 9,887 | #24 | 8.2 |
| 1940 | 10,203 | #18 | 8.9 |
| 1939 | 10,420 | #16 | 9.5 |
| 1938 | 10,837 | #13 | 9.8 |
| 1937 | 11,453 | #12 | 10.8 |
| 1936 | 12,234 | #11 | 11.8 |
| 1935 | 12,785 | #10 | 12.2 |
| 1934 | 14,100 | #9 | 13.5 |
| 1933 | 14,644 | #8 | 14.5 |
| 1932 | 16,376 | #8 | 15.3 |
| 1931 | 17,664 | #6 | 16.6 |
| 1930 | 19,913 | #4 | 17.7 |
| 1929 | 20,983 | #4 | 18.8 |
| 1928 | 22,937 | #4 | 19.9 |
| 1927 | 25,316 | #4 | 21.2 |
| 1926 | 26,886 | #4 | 22.7 |
| 1925 | 29,173 | #4 | 24.0 |
| 1924 | 31,194 | #3 | 25.0 |
| 1923 | 31,486 | #3 | 26.1 |
| 1922 | 32,510 | #3 | 27.1 |
| 1921 | 34,822 | #3 | 28.2 |
| 1920 | 35,097 | #3 | 29.3 |
| 1919 | 33,706 | #2 | 29.8 |
| 1918 | 36,148 | #2 | 31.2 |
| 1917 | 34,251 | #2 | 31.7 |
| 1916 | 32,661 | #2 | 31.3 |
| 1915 | 30,866 | #2 | 31.4 |
| 1914 | 23,221 | #2 | 30.5 |
| 1913 | 18,888 | #2 | 30.2 |
| 1912 | 16,133 | #2 | 28.9 |
| 1911 | 11,801 | #2 | 28.2 |
| 1910 | 10,479 | #2 | 26.4 |
| 1909 | 9,250 | #2 | 26.6 |
| 1908 | 8,439 | #2 | 25.2 |
| 1907 | 7,579 | #2 | 23.8 |
| 1906 | 7,176 | #2 | 24.3 |
| 1905 | 6,811 | #2 | 23.4 |
| 1904 | 6,488 | #2 | 23.6 |
| 1903 | 6,129 | #2 | 23.4 |
| 1902 | 5,967 | #2 | 22.6 |
| 1901 | 5,247 | #2 | 21.9 |
| 1900 | 6,342 | #2 | 21.2 |
| 1899 | 5,048 | #3 | 21.7 |
| 1898 | 5,230 | #3 | 20.2 |
| 1897 | 4,519 | #3 | 19.3 |
| 1896 | 4,392 | #3 | 18.5 |
| 1895 | 4,023 | #3 | 17.2 |
| 1894 | 3,676 | #4 | 16.5 |
| 1893 | 3,249 | #6 | 15.3 |
| 1892 | 2,936 | #9 | 13.8 |
| 1891 | 2,417 | #9 | 13.0 |
| 1890 | 2,312 | #12 | 12.1 |
| 1889 | 1,909 | #17 | 10.7 |
| 1888 | 1,847 | #16 | 10.3 |
| 1887 | 1,405 | #21 | 9.6 |
| 1886 | 1,267 | #25 | 8.8 |
| 1885 | 1,134 | #28 | 8.5 |
| 1884 | 986 | #33 | 7.6 |
| 1883 | 862 | #35 | 7.7 |
| 1882 | 838 | #31 | 7.8 |
| 1881 | 612 | #43 | 6.7 |
| 1880 | 636 | #35 | 7.0 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Helen a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Helen has been given almost only to girls: 3,105 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Helen: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Helen, and how old are they?
202,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 20% of the 1,027,307 Americans ever recorded as Helen. The median Helen alive today is 73 years old; half are between 58 and 83.
The 2020 Census counted 280,357 people named Helen (280,032 women and girls, 325 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 268,186 born in the U.S. The Census count is 5% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 59,100 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 82,300 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 21,700 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 13,100 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 13,400 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 9,660 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Helen born?
The states with the most babies named Helen are Pennsylvania, New York and Illinois, with 28% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 102,666 | #420 | 1.4× |
| New York | 93,737 | #456 | 1.1× |
| Illinois | 52,555 | #358 | 1.1× |
| Ohio | 51,159 | #604 | 1.1× |
| California | 34,719 | #492 | 0.9× |
| Texas | 34,399 | #484 | 0.7× |
| New Jersey | 34,157 | #684 | 1.2× |
| Michigan | 33,600 | #893 | 1.0× |
| Massachusetts | 33,539 | #323 | 1.1× |
| Missouri | 25,159 | #454 | 1.0× |
Where Helen is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Helen is most over-represented in Pennsylvania: since 1910 it was given 1.4 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Helen with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 1,038,100 babies since 1880, Helen is the most given (99% of them). In 2025 it was given to 668 of their 796 babies (84%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Helen
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Helen and names like it
- Compare Helen and HellenBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1910sHelen peaked in 1918.
- Pennsylvania’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Helen since 1910.
- Ancient Greek namesWiktionary’s origin for Helen: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1918The year the most babies were named Helen.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Helen alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with HMost given first.