Helene (name)
Encyclopedia
Helene is a female given name from the Greek
Ἑλένη, whose etymology is unclear. The modern Greek
pronunciation is Eleni, and in English
there is also Helena, Elena
, Elaine, Helen
, Hellen, or Ellen. The name is first attested in the Iliad
— Helen of Troy.
The name is used in many other languages. Name days: Hungary
(as Heléne) - October 14, Estonia
(as Helen) - August 18, Greece
(as Ελένη) - May 21.
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
Ἑλένη, whose etymology is unclear. The modern Greek
Modern Greek
Modern Greek refers to the varieties of the Greek language spoken in the modern era. The beginning of the "modern" period of the language is often symbolically assigned to the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, even though that date marks no clear linguistic boundary and many characteristic...
pronunciation is Eleni, and in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
there is also Helena, Elena
Elena (name)
Elena is a popular Macedonian, Spanish, Romanian and Italian version of the Macedonian name Elena , meaning "light" and "beautiful". The name also means "love" or "happiness"....
, Elaine, Helen
Helen (given name)
Helen is a feminine given name derived from the Greek Ἑλένη Helene, meaning "torch" or "corposant." Another possible derivation is the Greek σελήνη or Selene, meaning "moon." Helen of Troy is a character in Greek mythology...
, Hellen, or Ellen. The name is first attested in the Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
— Helen of Troy.
The name is used in many other languages. Name days: Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
(as Heléne) - October 14, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
(as Helen) - August 18, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
(as Ελένη) - May 21.
People with the given name Helene
- Helene MayerHelene MayerHelene Mayer was a world champion Olympic fencer who competed for Nazi Germany in the 1936 Summer Olympics, despite having been forced to leave Germany and resettle in the United States because she was of Jewish family background.She was Jewish, and was born in Offenbach am Main.-Fencing...
, German and American Olympic champion foil fencer - Helene SchjerfbeckHelene SchjerfbeckHelene Schjerfbeck was a Finnish painter. She is most widely known for her realist works and self-portraits, and less well known for her landscapes and still lifes...
, artist - Helene Speight, finalist in The Apprentice (UK Series Four)The Apprentice (UK Series Four)Series Four of The Apprentice was a British reality television series, which was won by Lee McQueen. The series began on BBC One on 26 March 2008, and ran for twelve weekly episodes. Auditions and interviews are reported to have taken place during the first two weeks of July 2007 in London,...
- Helene Holman, artist in the dramatic arts, and musician