Jelena, also written Yelena and Elena, is a Slavic given name.
The name is a Slavicized form of the Greek name Helena, and it signifies the word ‘Greek’ (Ελληνικά) meaning bright, light. Helena comes from Helios meaning shining and sunlight. Diminutives of the name include Jelica, Jelka, Jele, Jela, Lena, Lenochka, Jeca, and Lenka.
Notable people
editNobility
edit- Jelena Anžujska, Serbian Queen (d. 1314)
- Jelena of Bulgaria, Empress consort of Serbia (d. 1374)
- Jelena Petrović Njegoš, Montenegrin princess and Queen of Italy
- Jelena of Serbia, many Serbian consorts
- Jelena Urošević Vukanović, Queen consort of Hungary
- Jelena Zrinski, Princess Consort of Transylvania and Croatian noblewoman
Other people
edit- Jelena Agbaba, Serbian handball player
- Elena Berezhnaya, Russian figure skater
- Jelena Blagojević, Serbian volleyball player
- Yelena Bonner, Russian writer
- Jelena Brooks (Milovanović), Serbian basketball player
- Jelena Dokić, Australian tennis player of Croatian and Serbian origin
- Jelena Glebova, Estonian figure skater
- Jelena 'Gigi' Hadid, American model
- Jelena Grubišić, Croatian handball player
- Jelena Janković, Serbian tennis player
- Jelena Jovanova, Macedonian actress
- Jelena Karleuša, Serbian singer
- Jelena Kovacevic, Serbian-American engineering professor and dean
- Jelena Lavko, Serbian handball player
- Jelena Likhovtseva, Russian tennis player
- Jelena McWilliams (Obrenic), Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (June 5, 2018)
- Jelena Milesic, Artist
- Jelena Mrdjenovich, Serbian-Canadian boxer
- Jelena Nikolić, Serbian volleyball player
- Jelena Nurgalieva, Russian marathon runner
- Jeļena Ostapenko, Latvian tennis player
- Jelena Perepelkina, Russian wrestler
- Jelena Porsanger (born 1967), Russian Sami ethnographer and university rector
- Jeļena Prokopčuka, Latvian long-distance runner
- Yelena Romanova, Russian long-distance runner
- Jelena Rozga, Croatian singer
- Jelena Tripolski (born 1967), Israeli Olympic sport shooter
- Elena Valova, Russian figure skater
- Elena Vesnina, Russian tennis player
Related names
editHelen, Helena, Yelena, Elena, Elaine, Ellen, Alyona, Alyena, Aliena, Olyena, Alena