| Elena | Iris | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Bright, shining light | Iris flower / rainbow |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | eh-LAY-nuh | EYE-ris |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2025 (4,836) | 2025 (3,729) |
| In 2025 | 4,836 | 3,729 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Elena | Iris |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 26,192 | 17,499 |
| 2010s | 28,804 | 15,352 |
| 2000s | 15,699 | 8,644 |
| 1990s | 9,500 | 5,542 |
| 1980s | 6,300 | 4,739 |
| 1970s | 5,281 | 4,685 |
| 1960s | 4,744 | 5,807 |
| 1950s | 3,454 | 8,871 |
| 1940s | 2,247 | 7,814 |
| 1930s | 1,638 | 8,135 |
| 1920s | 2,169 | 8,672 |
| 1910s | 1,335 | 4,360 |
| 1900s | 376 | 937 |
| 1890s | 200 | 374 |
| 1880s | 74 | 119 |
A form of Helen, from the Greek, “torch” or “bright, shining light.”
From Greek 'iris' meaning 'rainbow'; Iris was the Greek goddess of the rainbow. The iris flower was named for its rainbow range of colours, so the name functions both as a bloom word and a word for 'rainbow'.
Elena is more popular than Iris today: about 4,836 US babies were given the name Elena in 2025, compared with 3,729 named Iris.
Elena means Bright, shining light (Greek origin), while Iris means Iris flower / rainbow (greek origin).
In US records, Elena first appears in 1880 and Iris in 1880, so Elena has the longer recorded history.