Elena (name)
Encyclopedia
Elena is a popular Macedonian, Spanish
, Romanian
and Italian
version of the Macedonian name Elena (given name), meaning "light
" and "beautiful
". The name also means "love
" or "happiness
".
Other common variants are Alena
(German, Czech, and Slavic); Alenka (Slovenian); Alina
; Alyona
(Russian); Elene (Georgian); Ileana
(Romanian and Spanish); Ilona
(Hungarian, Finnish, and Latvian); Jelena
(Latvian, Croatian, and Serbian); Olena
(Ukrainian); and Yelena (Russian); Elena
(Macedonian).
Elena was among the top five names given to baby girls in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2004 and was the third most popular name given to baby girls born in the Republic of Macedonia in 2006.
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
version of the Macedonian name Elena (given name), meaning "light
Light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
" and "beautiful
Beauty
Beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction. Beauty is studied as part of aesthetics, sociology, social psychology, and culture...
". The name also means "love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
" or "happiness
Happiness
Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources....
".
Other common variants are Alena
Alena
- People :* Alena Martinovská, Czech actress, appearing in the 1954 film Komedianti* Alena Mazouka, Belarusian long-distance runner* Alena Mihulová, Czech actress, married to director Karel Kachyňa* Alena Šeredová, Czech model...
(German, Czech, and Slavic); Alenka (Slovenian); Alina
Alina
Alina Smith is an American/Russian pop singer, songwriter and pianist.- Early life :Alina Smith was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia to a Russian mother who was a teacher, actress and opera singer and an American father...
; Alyona
Alyona
Alyona was an Erzyan female ataman during the Peasant Revolt in Russia under the leadership of Stepan Razin. A peasant by birth from the Vyezdnaya sloboda of Arzamas, she was an elderly nun before becoming an ataman. She commanded a detachment of about 600 men and participated in the capture of...
(Russian); Elene (Georgian); Ileana
Ileana
Ileana is a female given name of Greek origin, meaning "of Troy." It is derived from the Greek name Helen. It has been adapted for Romanian and Spanish . The names Ileanne and Yleanne are in English...
(Romanian and Spanish); Ilona
Ilona
Ilona is a female given name of Hungarian origin, though uncertain etymology. It may have descended from the Magyar form of the Greek given name Helen, said to translate as "light".....
(Hungarian, Finnish, and Latvian); Jelena
Jelena
Jelena is the Croatian, Montenegrin and Serbian variant of the female given name Helen. The Serbian Cyrillic version is Јелена.*Jelena of Zadar, wife of King Mihajlo Krešimir II, Queen of Croatia from 946 to 969...
(Latvian, Croatian, and Serbian); Olena
Olena
Olena is a Ukrainian variant of the feminine name Helen. It is of Greek origin and means "sun ray" or "shining light". Variants of the name Olena include: Alena, Elena, Lena, Lenya, Lenochka, Olinia, Olinija, Olenya, Olinda, Olina, Lina, Olinia, Olenka, Olenochka and Olinija.-People:*Olena...
(Ukrainian); and Yelena (Russian); Elena
Elena
-Fictional characters:* Elena Fisher, a character in the Uncharted series* Elena Gilbert, from The Vampire Diaries* Elena of Turks, from Final Fantasy VII* Elena , from Street Fighter III...
(Macedonian).
Elena was among the top five names given to baby girls in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2004 and was the third most popular name given to baby girls born in the Republic of Macedonia in 2006.
First name
- Elena AltieriElena AltieriElena Altieri was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 27 films between 1937 and 1955. She was born in Stresa Borromeo, Italy.-Selected filmography:* We Were Seven Sisters...
, Italian actress - Elena AnayaElena AnayaElena Anaya is a Spanish actress whose career dates back to 1995.Anaya is the youngest of 5 children. She first received international attention in 2001 for her role in the sexually explicit drama Lucía y el sexo and also appeared in Pedro Almodóvar's Hable con ella .Her best-known Hollywood film...
, Spanish actress - Elena Asimakopoulou, Greek model
- Elena BăsescuElena BăsescuElena Băsescu, sometimes referred to as EBA, is a Romanian politician, secretary general of the youth wing of Romania's Democratic Liberal Party, and a Member of the European Parliament. She is the youngest daughter of Traian Băsescu, the current President of Romania. She was formerly a model, and...
, Romanian politician, daughter of the President of RomaniaPresident of RomaniaThe President of Romania is the head of state of Romania. The President is directly elected by a two-round system for a five-year term . An individual may serve two terms...
, Traian BăsescuTraian BasescuTraian Băsescu is the current President of Romania. After serving as the mayor of Bucharest from June 2000 until December 2004, he was elected president in the Romanian Presidential Elections of 2004 and inaugurated on December 20, 2004... - Elena BaltachaElena BaltachaElena Baltacha is a British professional tennis player of Ukrainian background. Being a four-time winner of the AEGON Award, she is also the long standing British number 1, a position she has held intermittently since 2002. As of 24 November 2011 she holds a current world ranking of No. 50. Her...
(born 1983) - a British tennis player but she was born in KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, the capital city of Ukraine - Elena Berezhnaya, Russian pair skater
- Elena BogdanElena BogdanElena Bogdan is a Romanian professional tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking was 155, which she reached on July 4, 2011 whilst her best doubles ranking was 107 on June 13, 2011...
(born 1992) - a Romanian tennis player - Elena BovinaElena BovinaElena Olegovna Bovina is a Russian professional female tennis player. On April 4, 2005 Bovina reached her career-high singles ranking: World No. 14....
(born 1983) - a Russian tennis player - Elena CarapetisElena CarapetisElena Carapetis is an Australian actress of Greek and Cypriot descent, known for her role as Jackie Kassis in Heartbreak High, as well as numerous other television series and theatre roles.-Biography:...
, Greek-Australian actress - Elena CeauşescuElena CeausescuElena Ceaușescu was the wife of Romania's Communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu, and Deputy Prime Minister of Romania.-Background:She was born Elena Petrescu into a peasant family in Petrești commune, Dâmboviţa County, in the informal region of Wallachia. Her family was supported by her father's job...
(1916-1989) - wife of former Romanian head of state - Elena DementievaElena DementievaElena Viatcheslavovna Dementieva is a retired Russian professional tennis player. Dementieva is most notable for winning the singles gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She won 16 WTA singles titles and reached the finals of the 2004 French Open and 2004 US Open. Dementieva achieved a...
(born 1981) - Bovina's Russian compatriot and former tennis player - Elena Fleming , known as Elena the Talented, Irish legend
- Elena GheorgheElena GheorgheElena Gheorghe is a Romanian singer. Gheorghe represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 and qualified for the final. One of her most notable music singles is "Te Ador" and her 2010 music single "Disco Romancing"....
, Romanian singer; Known for her hits "The Balkan GirlsThe Balkan Girls"The Balkan Girls" is a song by Elena Gheorghe and was the Romanian entry in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. The song was selected in the Romanian national final Selecţia Naţională 2009, which Gheorghe won....
" and "Disco RomancingDisco Romancing"Disco Romancing" is a song by Romanian artist Elena Gheorghe. It is her sixth single to be released and the first since her Eurovision Song Contest entry, in 2009. With "Disco Romancing", Gheorghe tries a new musical style, house, a very successful musical style in Romania, and, because of...
". - Elena GrushinaElena GrushinaElena Eduardovna Grushina is a Ukrainian ice dancer. With partner Ruslan Goncharov, she is the 2006 Olympic bronze medalist, 2005 World bronze medalist, and two-time European silver medalist.- Career :...
, Ukrainian figure skater - Elena HilaElena HilaElena Hila is a female shot putter from Romania. Her personal best throw is 18.73 metres, achieved in May 2002 in Snagov.-Achievements:-External links:...
, Romanian shot putter - Elena KaganElena KaganElena Kagan is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving since August 7, 2010. Kagan is the Court's 112th justice and fourth female justice....
(born 1960) - former United States Solicitor GeneralUnited States Solicitor GeneralThe United States Solicitor General is the person appointed to represent the federal government of the United States before the Supreme Court of the United States. The current Solicitor General, Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 6, 2011 and sworn in on June...
and current Associate Justice of the United States Supreme CourtAssociate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United StatesAssociate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are the members of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the Chief Justice of the United States... - Elena LeddaElena LeddaElena Ledda is a Sardinian singer.Born near Cagliari, she pursued conservatory studies in oboe and voice. Ledda has a dramatic soprano voice suitable for opera, which she originally performed as an artist, but was attracted by the folk singing of her native Sardinia and has chosen a career...
, Sardinian singer - Elena LiashenkoElena LiashenkoElena Liashenko is a Ukrainian figure skater. She is the 2004 European silver medalist and 1995 and 2005 bronze medalist. She is also 4-time Olympic team member of Ukraine.- Biography :...
, Ukrainian figure skater - Elena LikhovtsevaElena LikhovtsevaElena Alexandrovna Likhovtseva is a Russian tennis player, currently inactive. She turned professional in January 1992 at the age of 16.Likhovtseva's career best appearance in a Grand Slam was when she reached the semi finals of the French Open 2005 before she was defeated by Mary Pierce, 6–1 6–1...
(born 1975) - Dementieva's Russian compatriot and tennis player but she was born in Alma-Ata, a former capital city of Kazakhstan - Elena Mitrano, American singer
- Elena MousikouElena MousikouElena Mousikou is an athlete from Cyprus who competes in archery.At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing Mousikou finished her ranking round with a total of 589 points. This gave her the 56th seed for the final competition bracket in which she faced Nami Hayakawa in the first round...
, a Cypriot archer - Elena Nathanael, Greek actress
- Elena NikolaidiElena NikolaidiElena Nikolaidi was a noted Greek-American opera singer and teacher. Nikolaidi sang leading mezzo-soprano roles with major opera companies worldwide and made numerous recordings....
, Greek-American opera singer - Elena PaparizouElena PaparizouEleni "Elena" Paparizou , usually referred to abroad as Helena Paparizou, is a Greek-Swedish singer and occasional songwriter, who was born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents. She began her career there in 1999 as a member of the duo Antique, while she also worked briefly as a model for a...
, Greek singe - Elena SouliotisElena SouliotisElena Souliotis was an operatic soprano."-Biography:Elena Souliotis was born in Athens, Greece of Greek and Russian parents but moved with her family to Argentina at an early age...
, Greek opera singer - Elena TatarkovaElena TatarkovaElena Tatarkova is a professional female tennis player from Ukraine. Now retired, she won four ITF singles titles, four WTA doubles titles, and 25 ITF doubles titles...
(born 1976) - Ukrainian former tennis player but she was born in DushanbeDushanbe-Economy:Coal, lead, and arsenic are mined nearby in the cities of Nurek and Kulob allowing for the industrialization of Dushanbe. The Nurek Dam, the world's highest as of 2008, generates 95% of Tajikistan's electricity, and another dam, the Roghun Dam, is planned on the Vakhsh River...
, a capital city of TajikistanTajikistanTajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east.... - Elena TheoharousElena TheoharousDr Elena Theoharous is a pediatric surgeon, a member of the House of Representatives of Cyprus for the Limassol District, a member of the Democratic Rally, and is the founder of the Cyprus chapter of Médecins du Monde...
, Cyprion surgeon and politician - Elena UdreaElena UdreaElena Gabriela Udrea is a Romanian politician. A member of the Democratic Liberal Party , she has been a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Bucharest since 2008...
, Romanian politician; Minister of Tourism - Elena VesninaElena VesninaElena Sergeevna Vesnina is a professional female tennis player from Russia. Her career high rank was #22, achieved on 12 October 2009...
(born 1986) - Likhovtseva's Russian compatriot and tennis player but she was born in LvivLvivLviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
of UkraineUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia... - Elena Wagner (also Elena Pampoulova, Elena Pampoulova-Bergomi, born 1972) - German former tennis player
- Elena ZamolodchikovaElena ZamolodchikovaElena Mikhailovna Zamolodchikova , nicknamed "Zamo", was a two-time Olympic gymnast. She began gymnastics at the age of six. In 1999 she participated in her first major senior competition, the World Gymnastics Championships, where she won the gold in vault, the bronze in the all-around...
, Russian gymnast
- Ellie GouldingEllie GouldingElena Jane "Ellie" Goulding is an English singer-songwriter. In 2010 she became only the second artist to both top the BBC's annual Sound of... poll, and win the Critics' Choice Award at the BRIT Awards in the same year, following Adele's win of both in 2008...
(birth name: Elena Jane Goulding) (born 1986)- a British singer and songwriter.