Fun Facts About the Name Helia
- 214 babies named Helia: U.S. records list 214 babies given the name Helia from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Helia Mean?
Helia is a feminine name taken from the Greek word hēlios (ἥλιος), "sun." It is the feminine counterpart of Helios, the Greek name for the sun and for the god who drove its chariot. The feminine form is recorded in Greek as Hēleia (Ἥλεια) and Hēlia (Ἡλία). The meaning is literal: the name names the sun itself rather than a symbolic quality or personality trait.
Despite the resemblance, Helia is not a form of Helen or Helena; those names have their own separate and much-debated origin. The shared hel- opening is coincidental.
Helia Name History & Origins
The name is tied to the sun in Greek myth. The Heliades were the daughters of Helios and the Oceanid Clymene, and one of the sisters was named Helia (Ἡλία). After their brother Phaethon was struck down by Zeus for losing control of the sun chariot, the sisters mourned so unceasingly that the gods turned them into poplar trees on the banks of the Eridanus, and their falling tears hardened into amber. That mourning scene is the best-known early setting for the name.
As a living given name, Helia is used in Greece, where it appears in the modern form Ήλια, and in Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries, spelled Hélia in Portuguese and Helia in Spanish. In those languages the stress falls on the first syllable, and the initial h is silent. The masculine Helios stayed largely mythological and poetic, while the feminine Helia became the more common personal name.
How Popular is the Name Helia?
Helia has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2025. Its best rank was #1,554 in 1904.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,992 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2024 | #6,461 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2023 | #10,614 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #7,406 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2021 | #11,489 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #8,133 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2019 | #12,951 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #10,082 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #16,794 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #15,025 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #17,450 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #17,512 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #17,776 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #18,335 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #15,184 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #17,077 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #16,675 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #16,254 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #13,768 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1968 | #7,409 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #5,497 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1925 | #5,320 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1923 | #5,274 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1921 | #4,735 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1920 | #5,303 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1915 | #3,981 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1914 | #3,868 | 5 | 0.0007% |
| 1904 | #1,554 | 7 | 0.0025% |
| 1898 | #1,589 | 6 | 0.0023% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Helia Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You attract success and money. You are a lover of nature and do not need others for your happiness. You are self sufficient. You strive for material success and power and have business sense. You possess strong organizational abilities, can be a good manager, and executive by nature. You are capable of great achievement in business and finance. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Helia's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Helia's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.