Gelena
A rare spelling of Helena, from the Greek for "light". Only about 25 women in Poland carry it, and no girls have been given it in years, so most Poles have never met one.
Gelena Pronunciation
Gelena is pronounced ge-LE-nah (/gɛˈlɛna/).
What Gelena means
Where Gelena comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Gelena keeps close company with Helena, its older variant. Both come from Greek. Readers have linked the name to Greek words for the torch and its flame, and a sense of radiance settled onto it early. The short meaning handed down is light, bright.
Helena is the form most Poles know, from Saint Helena to the Helena of Homer, who set the Trojan war in motion in the Iliad. Gelena is the quieter spelling, a variant that softens the opening sound. In a Polish class register it would sit on its own line, apart from the many Helenas.
The name shares an imieniny with Helena, marked in August. Say Gelena and the Greek root for light is still there, under the newer letters.
How many people are named Gelena
1 in 901753 women in Poland is named Gelena. 25 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #8525 among female names.