Lena

femaleUsed across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German traditions

A short form of names ending in '-lena', such as Helena, Magdalena or Yelena — widely used independently.

Origin: Used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German traditions

Official popularity data is available for 5 regions, from 1945 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #20 in Norway in 1969. See regions.

Lena: Recorded every year since 1945, it reached #20 in 1969, and it stood at #266 in 2025.

5registrars recorded it
194times a registrar ranked it
81years from first to last
#20highest recorded position
38groupings it qualifies for
32names it appears alongside

What stands out in Lena's record

Ranked every year since 1945, without a single year missing. Names by continuity of record
Held a top-100 place for 36 years running. Names by top-100 run
Moved 144 places between two consecutive years — its largest recorded change. Names by largest single-year move
Appears alongside 32 other names across 5 kinds of recorded relationship. All recorded relationships

LAY-nah/ˈleː.na/

Compare Lena Run Name Checker on Lena

Data Confidence

Evidence: ModerateCompleteness: SubstantialEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)

Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (5) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin: Used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German traditions
Meaning: A short form of names ending in '-lena', such as Helena, Magdalena or Yelena — widely used independently.
Pronunciation: LAY-nah
Syllables: 2
Common nicknames: None recorded
Classification: Traditional & modern
Gender usage: female
Language family: Used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German traditions

Popularity

Region

Rising

among girls in England and Wales · 1996–2025

View as table

England and Wales · Girls rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#823
1997	#629
1998	#701
1999	#736
2000	#804
2001	#642
2002	#631
2003	#637
2004	#565
2005	#567
2006	#461
2007	#544
2008	#341
2009	#247
2010	#192
2011	#151
2012	#137
2013	#128
2014	#129
2015	#134
2016	#138
2017	#158
2018	#154
2019	#169
2020	#186
2021	#218
2022	#221
2023	#260
2024	#283
2025	#288

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

RisingEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among girls in Norway in every year from 1945 to 2025.

In 2025: #266 among girls in Republic of Ireland, #288 among girls in England and Wales, #294 among girls in Norway.

Official data from 5 national registrars across 5 regions, 1945–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1945
First recorded at #346 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #288 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls

Lena appears in 4 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Norway · Girls, which has ranked it in 81 years beginning in 1945, and has registered 7,005 births with the name.

Lena across 4 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Lena's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Norway · Girls	#346 (1945)	#20 (1969)	#294 (2025)	81 of 81	7,005 (1945–2025)	385 (1969)
Republic of Ireland · Girls	#372 (1964)	#71 (2012)	#266 (2025)	62 of 62	1,301 (1964–2025)	99 (2012)
England and Wales · Girls	#823 (1996)	#128 (2013)	#288 (2025)	30 of 30	5,796 (1996–2025)	427 (2013)
Northern Ireland · Girls	#293 (2001)	#131 (2012)	#288 (2024)	20 of 24	206 (2001–2024)	17 (2014)

Lena by decade in Norway · Girls

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Lena in Norway · Girls, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1940s	41	5 of 10	8
1950s	192	10 of 10	19
1960s	1,024	10 of 10	102
1970sbusiest	2,171	10 of 10	217
1980s	1,395	10 of 10	140
1990s	1,061	10 of 10	106
2000s	435	10 of 10	44
2010s	538	10 of 10	54
2020s	148	6 of 10	25

Across Norway · Girls, the 1970s were its busiest decade, averaging 217 births a year.

Its sharpest single-year move came between 1968 and 1969, when recorded births rose by 247, from 138 to 385.

See the names Norwayhas recorded the most births with →

Lena appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

What the record shows

Recorded by 5 registrars between 1945 and 2025, ranked in 81 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #20, first reached in 1969.

It held a top-100 place in 43 years, 36 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 427 births, registered in England and Wales in 2013.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1964, and 79 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Lena was ranked #20 in Norway · Girls in 1969. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Linda#16
Kari#17
Marit#18
Tove#19
Inger#21Compare
Siv#22
Trine#23
Mette#24

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Lelia · #325, 19y
Lemuel · #577, 29y
Lenard · #2921, 13y
Lene · #4, 73y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 5 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Kirsten · #20, 80y
Alfred · #18, 78y
Hanna · #22, 81y
Roger · #18, 81y

Also first recorded in the 1940s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1940 and 1949.

Åse · #20, 81y
Herman · #20, 76y
Kai · #20, 81y
Kirsten · #20, 80y

Comparisons involving Lena

Existing comparison pages where Lena and another name were ranked in the same published list, in the same years, on the same scale. Each has its own evidence; none of them says the names are alike.

Longest shared records

Names ranked alongside Lena in the same published list across at least 25 years.

Anna vs Lena
Anna and Lena were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #23 and #294.
Anna · Lena · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking
Anne vs Lena
Anne and Lena were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #159 and #294.
Anne · Lena · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking
Astrid vs Lena
Astrid and Lena were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #9 and #294.
Astrid · Lena · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking

Order changes

Pairs where Lena and another name exchanged position in a published list, taken as the final meaningful change.

Grethe vs Lena
In Norway · Girls, Lena moved into the top 50 at #20 in 1969 as Grethe fell out of it to #57, having been #44 the year before.
Grethe · Lena · 60 shared years, 1945–2012 · One took the other's place near the top
See the 1969 Norway ranking
Bente vs Lena
In Norway · Girls, Lena moved into the top 50 at #29 in 1980 as Bente fell out of it to #58, having been #46 the year before.
Bente · Lena · 61 shared years, 1945–2011 · One took the other's place near the top
See the 1980 Norway ranking

Compared inside Norway lists

Pairs involving Lena measured in Norway's own published lists — the registrar that recorded Lena at its highest position.

Elisabeth vs Lena
Elisabeth and Lena were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #171 and #294.
Elisabeth · Lena · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking
Lena vs Elise
Lena and Elise were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #294 and #63.
Lena · Elise · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking
Ellen vs Lena
Ellen and Lena were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 81 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #208 and #294.
Ellen · Lena · 81 shared years, 1945–2025 · Longest-running competitions
See the 2025 Norway ranking

Norway overview→

Lena and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,577 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Lena without appearing here.

Lena moved ahead of

Tracey
In 1996 they stood at #823 and #783 in England and Wales · Girls; by 1997 that had become #629 and #1450.
Kerry
In 2007 they stood at #544 and #527 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2008 that had become #341 and #972.
Audrey
In 2006 they stood at #523 and #461 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 2007 that had become #212 and #842.
Janice
In 2008 they stood at #498 and #498 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 2009 that had become #119 and #742.

Moved ahead of Lena

Violet
In 2004 they stood at #565 and #607 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2005 that had become #567 and #273.
Erin
In 1980 they stood at #245 and #258 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 1981 that had become #423 and #225.
Zoe
In 1980 they stood at #245 and #311 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 1981 that had become #423 and #272.
Chloe
In 1985 they stood at #325 and #386 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 1986 that had become #388 and #263.

Moved the opposite way to Lena

Berit
Between 1945 and 2023 in Norway · Girls, Lena went from #346 to #189 while Berit went from #7 to #494.
Gro
Between 1945 and 2023 in Norway · Girls, Lena went from #346 to #189 while Gro went from #65 to #465.
Janne
Between 1945 and 2023 in Norway · Girls, Lena went from #346 to #189 while Janne went from #148 to #469.
Margaret
Between 1945 and 2023 in Norway · Girls, Lena went from #346 to #189 while Margaret went from #173 to #522.

Moved the same way as Lena

Tina
Between 1958 and 2025 in Norway · Girls, Lena went from #148 to #294 and Tina from #326 to #488.
Lauren
Between 1971 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Lena went from #466 to #266 and Lauren from #466 to #118.
Katie
Between 1973 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Lena went from #449 to #266 and Katie from #508 to #41.
Ellie
Between 1987 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Lena went from #446 to #266 and Ellie from #488 to #15.

Meaning & Origin

A short form of names ending in '-lena', such as Helena, Magdalena or Yelena — widely used independently.

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German traditions

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Lena is officially recorded

5 official registrars have recorded Lena, between 1945 and 2025. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

Registrar	Recorded	Years	Its own highest position
Norway	1945–2025	81	#20 in 1969
Republic of Ireland	1964–2025	62	#71 in 2012
England and Wales	1996–2025	30	#128 in 2013
Northern Ireland	2001–2024	20	#131 in 2012
Scotland	2024	1	#207 in 2024

Its high point came 55 years earlier in Norway (1969) than in Scotland (2024).

Variants

No spelling variants or nicknames recorded yet.

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

No commonly used alternate spellings recorded.

Pronunciation

LAY-nah/ˈleː.na/

Syllables: 2
Ease: easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where Lena Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Lena in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

England and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNorway

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Preview with a surname

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Full sibling-set and initials-across-a-shortlist matching is a planned premium feature — see Premium.

Lena

Lena at a glance

What stands out in Lena's record

Overview

Popularity

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Lena across 4 official records

Lena by decade in Norway · Girls

Lena appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Lena

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1940s

Comparisons involving Lena

Longest shared records

Order changes

Compared inside Norway lists

Lena and the names beside it

Lena moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Lena

Moved the opposite way to Lena

Moved the same way as Lena

Meaning & Origin

Where Lena is officially recorded

Variants

Similar Names

Spelling

Pronunciation

Where Lena Is Recorded

Notable Usage

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Lena at a glance

What stands out in Lena's record

Lena across 4 official records

Lena by decade in Norway · Girls

Lena appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Lena

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1940s

Comparisons involving Lena

Longest shared records

Order changes

Compared inside Norway lists

Lena and the names beside it

Lena moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Lena

Moved the opposite way to Lena

Moved the same way as Lena