Girls' name · since 1880
Helena
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 40,412 babies named Helena, peaking in 2025. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #681 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #363 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 40,412
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Helena is the #363 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 40,412 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Helena has been recorded 40,412 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #363 nationally and more common than 98% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #681 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #363 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 40,412 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Helena ranks #681 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #363 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 40,412 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #681 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #363 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 40,412
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Helena's 40,412 recorded births place it above 99.05% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
49 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Helena compares
40,412 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Helena's all-time total is 107x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Helena | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 40,412 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 841 | 21 | 19,840 |
Helena's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Helena's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 64% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 36%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 60 births recorded -- set against the 2025 peak of 841, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Helena popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 841
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Helena by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (5,882 births, 15% of the file).
2010s was Helena's strongest decade.
5,882 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.
Helena births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 775
1880s
775 births
- 1890s 1,147
1890s
1,147 births
- 1900s 1,197
1900s
1,197 births
- 1910s
1910s
3,339 births
- 1920s
1920s
3,307 births
- 1930s 2,035
1930s
2,035 births
- 1940s 2,066
1940s
2,066 births
- 1950s 2,273
1950s
2,273 births
- 1960s 2,342
1960s
2,342 births
- 1970s 2,018
1970s
2,018 births
- 1980s 2,014
1980s
2,014 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,859 births
- 2000s
2000s
5,013 births
- 2010s
2010s
5,882 births
- 2020s
2020s
4,145 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 5,882 births (15% of all-time use).
How Helena compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Helena's total volume
Helena by state
Where Helena concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 3,992 | 9.9% |
| #2 | California | | 3,895 | 9.6% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 2,553 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Texas | | 2,348 | 5.8% |
| #5 | Massachusetts | | 1,986 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 1,503 | 3.7% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 1,500 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Florida | | 1,379 | 3.4% |
3,992 of 40,412 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Helena appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Helena? ▼
Where does Helena sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Helena most popular? ▼
Where is Helena most popular? ▼
How long has the name Helena been used? ▼
What names are similar to Helena? ▼
What to do with Helena's data
- Helena's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (5,882 total births) through the 2020s (4,145) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Helenas (3,992 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Helena
Nearby Names Like Helena
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Helena
Compare Helena side by side: Helena vs Helen Helena vs Helene Helena vs Hellen
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Helena
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Helena: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2025)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Helena draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.