How old is someone named Helen?
The average Helen is 66 years old.
Half of all living Helens are between 58 and 83.
When was Helen popular?
Helen peaked in 1918 and has been given less and less ever since. Only 668 babies got the name in 2025.
Popular names of 1918 · The most popular names of the 1910s →
Show the numbers by decade
| Born in | Babies born | Alive today |
|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 69,675 | 0 |
| 1910s | 248,717 | under 100 |
| 1920s | 291,152 | 4,400 |
| 1930s | 141,091 | 27,000 |
| 1940s | 91,076 | 51,000 |
| 1950s | 57,749 | 45,000 |
| 1960s | 29,204 | 26,000 |
| 1970s | 11,541 | 11,000 |
| 1980s | 8,449 | 8,200 |
| 1990s | 8,425 | 8,300 |
| 2000s | 8,852 | 8,800 |
| 2010s | 7,585 | 7,500 |
| 2020s | 4,347 | 4,300 |
How many Helens are still alive?
About 200,000 Helens are alive in the US today. That's 20% of the roughly 1 million babies named Helen since 1880.
Most Helens ever born have died: the name was most popular in 1918, long enough ago that many of those babies are gone.
What generation is the name Helen?
About two in five living Helens are Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964.
Is Helen an old name?
Yes. Helen is older than 96 in 100 names on AgeByName.
Looking ahead: if babies keep getting the name at today's pace, the typical Helen will be 50 in 2056, so its average age will actually fall, as the youngest Helens make up more of the total.
Is Helen a boy or girl name?
Almost entirely girls: 99.7% of living Helens are women.
Names the same age as Helen
NAME TWIN
Helen's name twin is Fannie. Of all 3,713 names on AgeByName, Fannie's age curve is the closest match to Helen's: 95% alike.
Compare: Helen vs. Ellen
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Questions about the name Helen
How old is the average Helen?
The average Helen in the US is 66 years old. The median is 73, so half are older and half younger.
How many people are named Helen?
About 200,000 Helens are alive in the US today, out of roughly 1 million babies given the name since 1880.
When was the name Helen most popular?
In 1918, when about 36,000 baby girls were named Helen.
Is Helen a Boomer name?
Partly. Baby Boomers are the largest group, about 41% of living Helens, but the name spans several generations.
Estimates from Social Security Administration baby-name records (births 1880–2025) and SSA cohort life tables (2026 Trustees Report). Updated each spring. How we calculate this