US rank #3747 Girls' name Peak 1918 33,291 births

Helene — #3747 US girls' name

33,291 babies named Helene in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s2821890s8071900s13671910s53631920s55191930s44041940s49331950s47381960s28961970s9721980s5671990s4642000s4722010s3392020s168
#3747
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 79% of names given to girls today.

1920s
Peak decade

17% of everyone ever named Helene was born in this single decade.

1918
Single peak year

728 babies were named Helene in 1918 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Helene

The Social Security Administration has registered 33,291 babies named Helene between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Helene currently holds the #3747 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1918, when 728 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Helene performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 5,519 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Helene shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 8,151 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and Illinois. In total, SSA state-level files list Helene in 45 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Helene in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 33,291 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Helene at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

33,291

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1918

728 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#3,747

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Helene popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1918)
728
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2000200400600800 202420051986196719481929191018911880 17

Helene by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
5,519 births that decade — 17% of Helene's all-time total
1880s2821890s8071900s13671910s53631920s55191930s44041940s49331950s47381960s28961970s9721980s5671990s4642000s4722010s3392020s168

Helene by state

Where Helene concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Regionally concentrated
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Helene
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
8,151 24.5%
#2 Pennsylvania
3,952 11.9%
#3 Illinois
1,918 5.8%
#4 New Jersey
1,873 5.6%
#5 California
1,709 5.1%
#6 Massachusetts
1,371 4.1%
#7 Michigan
1,162 3.5%
#8 Ohio
1,011 3.0%
New York share of Helene's total US births 24.5%
Even split

8,151 of 33,291 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.

Helene appears in 45 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Helene?
33,291 babies have been named Helene since 1880. It currently ranks #3747 among girls. The peak year was 1918 with 728 births.
When was Helene most popular?
Helene was most popular in the 1920s decade with 5,519 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Helene most popular?
The top states for the name Helene are New York (8,151 births), Pennsylvania (3,952 births), Illinois (1,918 births).
How long has the name Helene been used?
Helene has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Helene?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Helen, Helena, Hellen, Helga, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Helene

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.