Lena

Lena originated as a short form of names ending in the element -lena, most prominently Helena, Magdalena, and Yelena, drawing on Greek roots meaning torch or bright light through Helena, and a place name origin through Magdalena. It has been widely used across northern and eastern Europe for centuries and gained broad international popularity in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The name is common throughout Scandinavia, Germany, the Slavic countries, and beyond, reflecting how freely it traveled across linguistic borders as an independent given name. Related forms include Elena, Helena, Magdalena, and Yelena.