What Does the Name Lena Mean?

Lena is a girl's name of Greek/Latin (short form) origin meaning “depends on source name; commonly 'light' (Helen) or 'sun' (Magdalena/Lena).”

Updated June 2026

Name	Lena
Gender	female
Origin	Greek/Latin (short form)
Meaning	depends on source name; commonly 'light' (Helen) or 'sun' (Magdalena/Lena)
Variants	Lina, Helena, Magdalena, Lenna, Leena
Popularity	A long-established international name; common in Germany and Scandinavia and steadily used in the U.S. top 1000.

The meaning and origin of Lena

The name Lena means “depends on source name; commonly 'light' (Helen) or 'sun' (Magdalena/Lena)” and has Greek/Latin (short form) origins. Lena arose as a short form of names ending in -lena or -lina, such as Helena, Magdalena, and Carolina, and so carries the meaning of whichever parent name it shortens. It is widely used as an independent name across Europe, Russia, and the Anglosphere.

Variants and related names

Lena is related to several other names you may recognize: Lina, Helena, Magdalena, Lenna, Leena. These share a common root or are spelling and language variants of the same name.

How popular is the name Lena?

A long-established international name; common in Germany and Scandinavia and steadily used in the U.S. top 1000.

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