Helen

Helen is a feminine given name derived from the Ancient Greek name , Helenē (dialectal variants: , Helena, , Elena, , Welena), which descends from Proto-Hellenic *Ηwelénā, from a pre-Hellenic or late Proto-Indo-European *Swelénā (a solar deity), ultimately derived from the Indo-European root *swel- (to shine, warm). Helen, worshipped as a goddess in Laconia and Rhodes, is a major character in Greek mythology. The name was widely used by early Christians due to Saint Helena, the mother of the emperor Constantine I, who according to legend found a piece of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified when she traveled to Jerusalem. Helen was very popular in the United States during the first half of the 20th century, when it was one of the top ten names for baby girls, but became less common following World War II. People Helen of Greece and Denmark (1896–1982), Queen Mother of Romania Saint Helen of Serbia (died 1314), Serbian queen Helen Acquroff (1831–1887), Scottish pianist, singer, poet and music teacher Helen Adams (born 1978), British television personality Helen Atkinson-Wood (born 1955), English actress Helen Vickroy Austin (1829–1921), American journalist, horticulturist, suffragette Helen Ball, senior British police officer Helen Morton Barker (1834-1910), American social reformer Helen Bar-Yaacov, Uzbekistani-born American rabbi Helen Baxendale (born 1970), English actress Helen Purdy Beale (1893–1976), US virologist Helen Corinne Bergen (1868–19??), American author, journalist, critic Helen Louisa Bostwick Bird (1826–1907), American author, poet Helen Bjørnøy (born 1954), Norwegian politician Helen Marie Black (1896–1988), American cultural and civic leader, publicist, and journalist Helen Blatch (1934–2015), British actress Helen Brew (1922–2013), New Zealand actor, birth campaigner, documentary filmmaker, educator and speech therapist for children Helen Broderick (1891–1959), American actress Helen Brook (1907–1997), British advocate of birth control Helen Brown (1917–1986), New Zealand painter Helen Stuart Campbell (1839–1918), American author, editor, social reformer, home economist Helen Chadwick (1953–1996), English artist Helen Clark (born 1950), New Zealand politician Helen Clark (born 1954), British politician Helen Taggart Clark (1849–1918), American journalist, poet Helen Field Comstock (1840–1930), American poet, philanthropist Helen J.