What does the name helen mean?

Answer 1

Helen comes from the Greek Hellene, referring to anyone from Greece (Hellas). The original meaning of Hellene was a ray of light or sunshine.

Helen means ''light'' or ''brightness''. It was originally used Helena. It is Greek. The pet form is usually 'Nellie'' or 'Nell''.

Answer 2

It is the French equivalent of Helen or Ellen. It is a stand-alone name- not a derivative like, for example the many diminutives of Elizabeth- such as Bess, Betty, Ella, Beth, etc. Saint Helena was known for her discovery of the True Cross in the times of Constantine- who popularized the motto- In Hoc Signo Vinces- In this Sign, Conquer!- tragically a cigarette merchant ( Pall Mall) used this as a slogan on a scroll- no one would dare come out with ( Patriot) cigarettes with the slogan ( In God We Trust) no way! IHSV is, by the way, the motto of Portugal, the sign being, of course the Cross.