Lena

Lena is a short name with a long résumé. Originally a German and Russian pet form of names ending in -lena (Helena, Magdalena, Yelena), it gained independent life across Europe in the nineteenth century and arrived in America on the voices of jazz legend Lena Horne and, later, Lena Dunham and the fictional Lena of Dear White People. The Greek root of Helena — often linked to brightness or torchlight — still flickers underneath. It sits at 263 on the US charts, trending quietly upward. Two uncluttered syllables, a long E, a soft A. European poise without import duties.