Helen is a distinctive choice, ranked #885 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Helen in their class.
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UK Rank 2024
#885
US Rank #424
About the Name Helen
Helen has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 136 places in five years. It was most popular in 1996 at #108 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Helen is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
In the US it ranks even higher at #424, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Helen
Unlikely. With around 41 UK babies named Helen per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Helen in her class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Helen has been declining in UK popularity, dropping 136 places in the last five years. Its peak was #108 in 1996. Choosing it now means she is likely to be among the last of her generation with this name.
Helen is more popular in the US (#424) than in the UK (#885). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Helen include: Helen Sharman — Helen Patricia Sharman is a British chemist and cosmonaut who became the first British person, first Western European woman and first privately funded woman in...; Helen J. Shen — Helen J.; Helen Epstein — Helen Epstein is an American writer of memoir, journalism and biography..
Helen appears in the US top 500 at #424 in 2024 — moderately popular in America, though less so than in the UK.
41
UK babies named Helen (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 136 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Helen
Likely around 1 other Helen in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2024)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Helen
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Helen Patricia Sharman is a British chemist and cosmonaut who became the first British person, first Western European woman and first privately funded woman in space, as well as the first woman to visit the Mir space station, in May 1991.
Helen (Ancient Greek: Ἑλένη, romanized: Helénē), also known as Helen of Troy, or Helen of Sparta, and in Latin as Helena, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believed to have been the daughter of Zeus by Leda or Nemesis, and the sister of Clytemnestra, Castor, Pollux, Philonoe, Phoebe and Timandra.
Helen Hayes MacArthur was an American actress. Often referred to as the "First Lady of American Theatre", she was the second person and first woman to win the EGOT (an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award), and the first person to win the Triple Crown of Acting.
Helen Jonas-Rosenzweig was a Polish-born Jewish Holocaust survivor who was interned during World War II at the Płaszów concentration camp where she was forced to work as a maid for SS camp commandant Amon Göth. Born in Kraków, she survived the Holocaust with the help of Oskar Schindler, who was credited with saving the lives of nearly 1,200 Jewish forced laborers.