Lena (name)

Lena
Pronunciation	LEH-na (Swedish, German, Dutch, Polish, Italian), LYEH-nuh (Russian), LEE-nuh (English), LEH-NAH (Georgian), leh-NAH (Armenian)
Gender	Female
Origin
Word/name	Greek, Germanic, Scandinavian, Slavic
Meaning	'shining light', 'bright'

Lena is a feminine given name, a short form of Helena (Ἑλενα), meaning 'torch' or 'shining light'. It may be a given name by itself or a diminutive of Helena and variants, such as Elena.

People with the given name

Lena (actress), Malayalam film actress
Lena Ackebo (born 1950), Swedish comic creator
Lena Adler (1941–2023), Swedish gymnast
Lena Adomat (born 1964), Swedish gymnast
Lena Åkesson (born 1967), Swedish boxer
Lena Alexander (1899–1983), Scottish painter
Lena Alhusseini, American activist
Lena Amsel (1898–1929), German dancer and actress
Lena Anderson (born 1939), Swedish children's book illustrator and author
Lena Anderssen (born 1974), Faroese-Canadian singer-songwriter
Lena Lovato Archuleta (1920–2011), American educator, school librarian and administrator
Lena Arnoldt (born 1982), German politician
Lena Clemmons Artz (1891–1976), American botanist
Lena Ashwell (1872–1957), British actress
Lena Asplund (born 1956), Swedish politician
Lena Bäckelin (born 1964), Swedish politician
Lena Baker (1900–1945), American convicted of murder
Lena Bergman (born 1943), Swedish social services employee
Lena Bergström (born 1961), Swedish textiles and glass designer
Léna Bernstein (1906–1932), German aviator
Lena Berntsson (born 1978), Swedish athlete
Lena Beyerling (born 1995), German actress
Lena Bickel (born 2004), Swiss artistic gymnast
Lena Biolcati (born 1960), Italian singer
Lena Blackbird (1933–2021), American Cherokee artist
Lena Blomkvist (born 1990), Swedish football defender
Lena Bogdanović (born 1974), Serbian actress
Lena Borislavova (born 1989), Bulgarian politician and lawyer
Lena Börjeson (1879–1976), Swedish sculptor, teacher
Lena Braun (born 1961), German contemporary artist
Lena Northern Buckner (1875–1939), American social worker
Léna Bühler (born 1997), Swiss racing driver
Lena Burke (born 1978), Cuban singer and actress
Lena Carlzon-Lundbäck (born 1954), Swedish cross-country skier
Léna Carrau (born 1997), French acrobatic gymnast
Lena Chamamyan (born 1980), Syrian singer of Armenian origin
Lena Christ (1881–1920), German writer
Lena Christensen, Thai-Danish actress, television presenter and singer
Lena Conradson (born 1948), Swedish singer
Lena Constante (1909–2005), Romanian artist, essayist and memoirist
Lena Cronqvist (1938–2025), Swedish painter and sculptor
Lena Cruz, New Zealand actress
Lena Cymbrowitz (1957–2000), American politician
Lena Dąbkowska-Cichocka (born 1973), Polish politician
Lena Degenhardt (born 1999), German handball player
Lena Derriecott Bell King (1923–2024), member of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion
Lena Diab (born 1965), Canadian politician
Lena Doolin Mason (1864–1924), American Methodist preacher and poet
Lena Dunham (born 1986), American filmmaker and actress
Lena Düpont (born 1986), German politician
Lena Dürr (born 1991), German alpine skier
Lena Düsterhöft (born 1996), German ice hockey player
Lena Frances Edwards (1900–1986), American doctor
Lena Einhorn (born 1954), Swedish director, writer and physician
Lena Ek (born 1958), Swedish politician
Lena Eliasson (born 1981), Swedish orienteer and ski-orienteering competitor
Lena Kristin Ellingsen (born 1980), Norwegian actress
Lena Emilsson (born 1957), Swedish politician
Lena Endesfelder (born 1992), German Wine Queen 2016
Lena Endre (born 1955), Swedish theatre, film and television actress
Lena Erdil (born 1989), Turkish windsurfer
Lena Eriksson (born 1972), Swedish breaststroke swimmer
Lena Estrada, Colombian government official
Lena Fayre, American singer-songwriter
Lena Santos Ferguson (1928–2004), American secretary, clubwoman, and civil rights advocate
Lena Fiagbe, British soul singer-songwriter
Lena Forsén (born 1951), Swedish Playboy Playmate
Lena Frerichs (born 2004), German field hockey player
Lena Frier Kristiansen (born 1983), Danish badminton player
Lena Jane Fry (1850–1938), Canadian-American writer
Lena Fujii (born 1984), Japanese singer
Lena Gabršček (born 1994), Slovenian volleyball player
Lena Ganschow, German journalist and television moderator
Lena Georgescu (born 1999), Swiss chess player
Lena Gercke (born 1988), German model
Lena Giudici (1898–1995), American lawyer
Lena Glaz (born 1961), Israeli chess player
Lena Goeßling (born 1986), German footballer
Léna Goetsch (born 1999), French footballer
Lena Göldi (born 1979), Swiss Olympic judoka
Lena Gonzalez (born 1981), American politician
Lena Göppel (born 2001), Liechtensteiner footballer
Lena Góra (born 1990), Polish actress
Lena Gorelik, German writer
Lena Grabowski (born 2002), Austrian swimmer
Léna Grandveau (born 2003), French handball player
Lena Grebak (born 1991), Danish badminton player
Lena Groeger, American journalist
Lena Guerrero (1957–2008), American politician
Lena Gumnior (born 1992), German politician
Lena Gurr (1897–1992), American painter
Lena Häcki (born 1995), Swiss biathlete
Lena Hades (born 1959), Russian painter
Lena Hallengren (born 1973), Swedish Social Democratic Party
Lena Halliday (c. 1872–1937), English actress
Lena Hallin (born 1961), Swedish Air Force major general
Lena Tracy Hanks (1879–1944), American psychologist
Lena T. Hansson (born 1955), Swedish actress
Lena Hasselström (born 1972), Swedish ski-orienteering competitor
Lena Culver Hawkins (1866–1949), American major and suffragette
Lena Headey (born 1973), British actress
Lena Henke, German artist
Lena Hentschel (born 2001), German diver
Lena Hill, American academic administrator
Lena Himmelstein (1877–1951), American clothing designer and retailer
Lena Hjelm-Wallén (born 1943), Swedish politician
Lena Horne (1917–2010), American singer and actress
Lena Isaksson, Swedish ski-orienteering competitor
Lena Ivančok (born 2001), Austrian handballer
Lena Terrell Jackson (1865–1943), American educator
Lena Jedwab-Rozenberg (1924–2005), Polish-French Jewish writer
Lena Jeger, Baroness Jeger (1915–2007), British politician
Lena Jensen (born 1973), Norwegian politician
Lena Jensen Rogn [no] (born 1980), Norwegian cross-country skier
Lena Johansson (born 1969), Swedish politician
Lena Jordan, Russian gymnast
Léna Kandissounon (born 1998), French athlete
Lena Kapp, German curler
Lena Kaur, British actress
Lena Kenin (1897–1968), American physician
Lena Kennedy (1914–1986), English author
Lena Khan, film director and writer
Lena King Lee (1906–2006), American politician
Lena Klenke (born 1995), German actress
Lena Kolarska-Bobińska (born 1947), Polish sociologist, academic and politician
Lena Kourkoutis (1979–2023), American physicist
Lena Kovačević (born 1992), Serbian singer
Lena Kreck (born 1981), German politician
Lena Kreundl (born 1997), Austrian swimmer
Lena Küchler-Silberman (1910–1987), Jewish World War II resistance
Lena Lattwein (born 2000), German footballer
Lena Lauzemis (born 1983), German actress
Lena Levine (1903–1965), American physician
Lena Liepe (born 1962), Swedish art historian
Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth (born 1955), Swedish politician
Lena Litvak (born 1988), Ukrainian-born American tennis player
Lena Lootens (born 1959), Belgian soprano
Lena Lotzen (born 1993), German footballer
Lena Lowis (1845–1919), British author and scientific illustrator
Lena Lutz (born 2001), Swiss ice hockey player
Lena Machado (1903–1974) Native Hawaiian singer, composer, and ukulele player
Lena Malkus (born 1993), German long jumper
Lena Marquise (born 1985), Russian interdisciplinary artist
Lena Martell (born 1940), Scottish singer
Lena Maryana (born 1962), Indonesian politician
Lena B. Mathes (1861–1951), American educator, social reformer, and ordained minister
Lena McEwan (1927–2011), Australian plastic surgeon
Lena McLin (1928–2023), American composer
Lena Mellin, Swedish journalist
Lena Meyer-Landrut (born 1991), German singer, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2010
Lena Micheel (born 1998), German field hockey player
Lena Micko (born 1955), Swedish politician
Lena Miculek, American professional competitive shooter, firearms educator and product developer
Lena Mihailovic (born 1996), Australian water polo player
Léna Mill-Reuillard, Canadian cinematographer and photographer
Lena Moi (1926–2004), First Lady of Kenya
Lena Möller (born 1957), Swedish sprinter
Lena Möllers (born 1990), German volleyball player
Lena L. Moore (died 1969), American politician
Lena Moreno, Spanish taekwondo practitioner
Lena Morrow Lewis, American orator and politician
Lena Beatrice Morton (c. 1901–1981), American educator and literary scholar
Lena Mukhina (1924–1991), Russian diarist
Lena Müller (born 1987), German rower
Lena Nazaryan (born 1983), Armenian journalist and politician
Lena Neudauer, German violinist
Lena Neumann, German film editor
Lena Niang (born 1996), Senegalese basketball player
Lena Nilsson (born 1962), Swedish actress
Lena Noreses (born 1994), Namibian footballer
Lena Nyadbi (1936–2024), Australian artist
Lena Nyman (1944–2011), Swedish actress
Lena Nymark (born 1980), Norwegian jazz musician
Lena Oberdorf (born 2001), German footballer
Lena Olin (born 1955), Swedish actress
Lena Ostermeier (born 1996), German association footballer
Lena Papadakis (born 1998), German tennis player
Lena Pappa (1932–2025), Greek poet
Lena Pauels (born 1998), German footballer
Lena Persson Herlitz (born 1967), Swedish Amphibious Corps officer
Lena Petermann (born 1994), German footballer
Lena Madesin Phillips (1881–1955), American lawyer and clubwoman
Lena Piękniewska (born 1980), Polish singer
Lena Platonos (born 1951), Greek musician, pianist, and composer
Lena Plesiutschnig (born 1993), Austrian beach volleyball player
Lena Prewitt (1931–2024), American academic
Lena Prima, American jazz singer
Lena Rådström Baastad (born 1974), Swedish politician
Lena Raine (born 1984), American video game composer and producer
Lena Rea, Irish badminton player
Lena Charlotte Reißner (born 2000), German cyclist
Lena Repinc (born 2003), Slovenian biathlete
Lena Richard (1892 or 1893–1950), American cookbook author and restaurateur
Lena Röhlings (born 2002), German canoeist
Lena Rosenthal (1920–2007), birthname of American businesswoman Leona Helmsley
Lena Sadick, lawn and indoor bowler
Lena Samuelsson, Swedish ski-orienteering competitor
Lena Sandin (born 1961), Swedish tennis player
Lena Sandlin-Hedman (born 1969), Swedish politician
Lena Saradnik (born 1947), American politician
Lena Schilling (born 2001), Austrian climate activist
Lena Schöneborn (born 1986), German modern pentathlete
Lena L. Severance (1855–1942), American mathematician, author, world traveler and activist
Lena Silano (born 2000), American soccer player
Lena Sjöholm (born 1946), Swedish archer
Lena Smedsaas (1951–2014), Swedish journalist and writer
Lena O. Smith (1885–1966), American lawyer and civil rights advocate
Lena B. Smithers Hughes (1905–1987), American botanist
Lena Söderblom (born 1935), Swedish actress
Lena Solli-Reimann (born 1969), Norwegian hurdler
Lena Sommestad (born 1957), Swedish politician and economic historian
Lena Spoof (born 1961), Finnish archaeologist and hurdler
Lena Springs (1883–1942), American politician
Lena Ruth Stefanovic, Montenegrin author and poet
Lena Stigrot (born 1994), German volleyball player
Lena Stöcklin (born 1990), German canoeist
Lena Stojković (born 2002), Croatian taekwondo practitioner
Lena Stolze (born 1956), German actress
Lena Strömdahl (born 1947), Swedish actress
Lena Sulkanen (born 1960), Swedish bowler
Lena Sundström (born 1972), Swedish journalist and author
Lena Swanson (born 1937), American politician and activist
Lena Taylor (born 1966), American politician
Lena Teschlade (born 1988), German politician
Lena Teunissen (born 1997), Dutch canoeist
Lena Townsend (1911–2004), British Conservative politician
Lena Trent Gordon (1885–1935), American social worker, orator, government official and poet
Lena Triendl (born 2000), Austrian footballer
Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, American poet
Lena Tyriberget (born 1973), Norwegian football coach
Lena Uebach (born 2000), German association football player
Lena Urbaniak (born 1992), German shot putter
Lena Urzendowsky (born 2000), German actress
Lena Valaitis (born 1943), Lithuanian-German singer
Lena Valaoritou (1897–1967), Greek tennis player
Lena Videkull (born 1962), Swedish footballer
Lena Waithe (born 1984), American screenwriter, producer, and actress
Lena Wermelt (born 1990), German footballer
Lena Werner (born 1994), German politician
Lena Willemark (born 1960), Swedish musician
Lena Wilson (c. 1898 – c. 1939), American blues singer
Lena Wilson (executive), Scottish businessperson
Lena Wisborg (born 1965), Swedish actress
Lena Wood (1899–1982), British violist
Lena Yada (born 1978), Japanese-American model
Lena Zagst (born 1990), German politician
Lena Zavaroni (1963–1999), Scottish singer
Lena Żelichowska (1910–1958), Polish actress
Lena Zingsheim-Zobel (born 1993), German politician

Nickname

Jennie Lena, stage name of Jennie Willemstijn (born 1977), Dutch singer and songwriter
Lena Asmus, nickname of Helene Asmus (born 1982), Russian and German rhythmic gymnast
Lena Belkina or Olena Leser (born 1987), Ukrainian mezzo-soprano
Lena Blackburne, nickname of Russell Aubrey Blackburne (1886–1968), American baseball infielder, manager, coach, and scout
Lena Brogren, nickname of Ulla-Britt Brogren (1929–2005), was a Swedish actress
Lena Margareta Wilton, nickname of Lena Carlsson (born 1972), Swedish sailor
Lena Chettiar, stage name of S. M. Letchuman Chettiar, Indian film producer
Lena Connell, stage name of Adelin Beatrice Connell, also known professionally as Beatrice Cundy, (1875–1949), British suffragette and a well-known photographer
Lena Crittenden/Lee Crittenden, pennames of Lela E. Buis, American speculative fiction writer, playwright, poet and artist
Lena d'Água, stage name of Helena Maria de Jesus Águas (born 1956), Portuguese singer
Lena Farugia, stage name of Nicolina Elizabeth Farruggia (1951–2019), American-born South African actress, screenwriter, director and producer
Lena Guilbert Ford (1870–1918), American poet
Lena Granhagen (born 1938), Swedish actress
Lena Hall, stage name of Celina Consuela Gabriella Carvajal (born 1980), American actress and singer
Lena Herzog, stage name of Elena Herzog (née Pisetski; born 1970), Russian-American visual artist and photographer
Lena Kang, stage name of Kang Re-Na (born 2002), South Korean singer, former member of K-pop group GWSN
Lena Katina, stage name of Elena Sergeevna Katina (born 1984), Russian singer
Lena Lakomy stage name of Helena Lakomy (1917–2010), survivor of Nazi concentration camps
Anna Karolina Larsson, nickname of Lena Larsson (1882–1967), Swedish ballad singer
Lena Michaëlis, nickname of Helena Cornelia Michaëlis (1905–1982), Dutch discus thrower
Lena Milman, nickname of Angelena Frances Milman (1862–1914), British translator, critic and architectural historian
Lena Neuner, nickname of Magdalena Neuner (married name Magdalena Holzer; born 1987), German biathlete
Lena Ovchynnikova, nickname of Oléna Serhíyivna Ovchýnnikova (born 1987), Ukrainian kickboxer and mixed martial artist
Lena Oxton, fictional Overwatch character, known as Tracer (Overwatch)
Lena Park, stage name of Park Jung-hyun (born 1976), Korean singer, also known as Park Jung Hyun (박정현)
Lena Pedersen, stage name of Elizabeth Magdalena Pedersen or Lena Pederson, Canadian Inuk politician
Lena Philipsson, stage name of Maria Magdalena Philipsson (born 1966), Swedish singer, also known as "Lena Ph"
Lena Piskun, nickname of Elena Mikhaylovna Piskun (born 1978), Belarusian artistic gymnast
Lena Purcell, nickname of Samuelene Purcell (1898–1982), New Zealand shop assistant and trade unionist
Lena Rice, nickname of Helena Bertha Grace Rice (1866–1907), Irish tennis player
Lena Ruru, nickname of Rina Matewai Ruru (1902–1977), New Zealand community leader, sportswoman, pianist and Māori welfare worker
Lena Scissorhands, stage name of Elena Cataraga (born 1986), Moldovan heavy metal singer and songwriter
Léna Situations, stage name of Léna Mahfouf (born 1997), French vlogger
Lena Stein-Schneider stage name of Helene Meyerstein (born 1958), German composer, singer and pianist
Lena Strothmann, Magdalena Strothmann (born 1952), German politician
Lena Styles, nickname of William Graves Styles (1899–1956), American baseball catcher
Lena Svedberg, nickname of Aina-Lena Bernice Svedberg (1946–1972), Swedish artist
Lena Thomson, stage name of Helena Agnes Thomson (1868–1938), Scottish amateur golfer
Lena Tretyakova, stage name of Elena Nikolaevna Tretyakova (born 1988), Russian singer
Lena Ustymenko, nickname of Olena Ustymenko Sokolowski (born 1986), Ukrainian volleyball player

Disambiguation

Lena Andersson, several people

Fictional characters

The female protagonist in an Ole and Lena joke
Lena, in the 1996 anime Shamanic Princess
Lena, played by Marion Cotillard in the 2006 film Toi et Moi
Lena, played by Emma Levie in the 2011 film Lena
Lena, played by Natalie Portman in the 2018 film Annihilation
Lena, in the book series Fablehaven
Lena Adams, in the Grant County, Georgia series of books
Lena Duchannes, in the Beautiful Creatures series of books
Lena Dupree, an antagonist in Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island
Lena Adams Foster, in American TV series The Fosters
Lena Gogan, a character in the 1977 film Pete's Dragon
Lena Grove, in the William Faulkner novel Light In August
Lena Haloway, in the Delirium series of books by Lauren Oliver
Lena Hatun, in Turkish TV series Kuruluş: Osman
Lena Kaligaris, in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series of books
Lena Luthor, Lex Luthor's sister in DC Comics
Lena Milizé, in 86: Eighty Six, short for Vladilena
Lena "Tracer" Oxton, in the video games Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm
Lena Seguret, in The Returned television show
Lena De Spell, in the DuckTales television show
Lena Tikhonova in the Everlasting Summer game
Lenna Charlotte Tycoon, one of the main characters of Final Fantasy V
Lena Younger, in the A Raisin In The Sun play

People with the surname

Jeffrey Lena (born 1958), American lawyer
Jennie Lena, Dutch singer-songwriter
Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena (born 1976), Indonesian politician who currently serves as Governor of East Nusa Tenggara
Nijaz Lena (born 1986), Macedonian footballer

Lena (name)

People with the given name

Nickname

Disambiguation

Fictional characters

People with the surname

See also