| Chloe | Helen | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Green shoot; blooming | Torch, light |
| Origin | greek | Greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | KLOH-ee | HEL-un |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2009 (11,922) | 1918 (36,148) |
| In 2025 | 6,203 | 668 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Chloe | Helen |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 37,588 | 4,347 |
| 2010s | 85,316 | 7,585 |
| 2000s | 96,503 | 8,847 |
| 1990s | 25,858 | 8,403 |
| 1980s | 3,605 | 8,413 |
| 1970s | 645 | 11,476 |
| 1960s | 204 | 29,099 |
| 1950s | 296 | 57,580 |
| 1940s | 543 | 90,742 |
| 1930s | 778 | 140,426 |
| 1920s | 746 | 290,404 |
| 1910s | 850 | 248,154 |
| 1900s | 478 | 69,428 |
| 1890s | 622 | 37,802 |
| 1880s | 357 | 11,496 |
From Greek 'chloe' (Χλόη) meaning 'green shoot, young growth of a plant'. It was an epithet of the harvest goddess Demeter marking the fresh green of spring.
Helen comes from Greek and is traditionally linked to “torch” or “light,” from a root meaning “shining.” Helen of Troy was, in Homer, the face “that launched a thousand ships.”
Chloe is more popular than Helen today: about 6,203 US babies were given the name Chloe in 2025, compared with 668 named Helen.
Chloe means Green shoot; blooming (greek origin), while Helen means Torch, light (Greek origin).
In US records, Chloe first appears in 1880 and Helen in 1880, so Chloe has the longer recorded history.