The Name Alena
Alena is a female name of Greek origin meaning “bright, torch”. Below are the forms of the name, name days in the Orthodox calendar, character by tradition, numerology, the first letter, talismans and compatibility with other names.
Origin and meaning
Alena is a female name of Greek origin. Meaning: “bright, torch”. A Russian folk form of the name Elena (Greek Ἑλένη; the name is usually linked with ἑλένη, “torch”, or with ἥλιος, “sun”).
In the church calendar the name is written as Elena: this is the name used at baptism and in church.
Forms of the name
| Full form | Alena |
| Church form | Elena |
| Short forms | Alyonka, Lyona |
| Affectionate forms | Alyonushka, Alyonochka |
Name days (angel’s day)
| June 3 | Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine and Empress Helena |
A name day is the feast of the saint after whom a person was baptised. If several saints share the name, custom is to celebrate the first feast after the birthday. Shown here are the main feasts in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church, with civil (Gregorian) dates.
Character by tradition
Alena, by tradition, is a gentle, dreamy and charming nature. She is responsive and loves comfort and beautiful things. She can be touchy and changeable in mood. Her strength is warmth of heart and femininity.
Name numerology
Letters of the name Alena («Алёна») in the Russian 1–9 table: А 1 + Л 4 + Ё 7 + Н 6 + А 1 = 19 → 1. The sum is reduced to one digit; the master numbers 11, 22 and 33 are kept.
Name number 1 — will and leadership. One is the number of the first: independence, initiative, readiness to answer for decisions. It is easier for the bearer to start and lead than to adapt; the weak spot is stubbornness and impatience with other people’s pace.
Vowels give the soul number 9 (service and breadth), consonants the personality number 1 (will and leadership). Inner motive: service and breadth; outer manner: will and leadership. Such a gap is not bad in itself: others see one side, close people know the other.
In Slavic Cyrillic numerals (using the modern spelling of the name): А=1 + Л=30 + Ё=5 + Н=50 + А=1 = 87, reduced to 6. Letters that had no numeric value are skipped. This is an additional digit, not a second name number: meanings for the Cyrillic numerals were added in the 20th century, modeled on Western numerology.
More: name number with surname, Slavic Cyrillic numerals, number meanings.
First letter and letters of the name
In letter reading — a popular tradition of interpreting letters — the first letter of the name matters most: it sets the main tone of character. The other letters add shades.
А — beginning and action. A wish to start, to be first and to act; a need for physical and emotional comfort.
Other letters: Л — sense of beauty; Ё — emotionality; Н — strong character and protest.
Talismans of the name
Name books usually derive talismans from the name number and its planet; lists differ between authors. Here we follow Cheiro (“Book of Numbers”): number 1 is linked with the Sun.
| Planet | Sun |
| Stones | topaz, amber, yellow diamond |
| Colours | gold, yellow, orange |
| Favourable days | Sunday |
Compatibility with other names
In numerology, compatibility of names is judged by their numbers. Number 1 goes most easily with 2 and 6, and has more friction with 1 and 8.
Goes well with: Valentin, Veniamin, Vladimir, Georgiy, Gordey, Igor, Leonid, Nikolay, Ruslan, Timur.
More friction with: Arseniy, Evgeniy, Makar, Miron, Svyatoslav, Yakov.
Check a couple precisely: compatibility by name.
Outcome
The name Alena carries the meaning “bright, torch”. Name number 1 — will and leadership; first letter A — beginning and action. Inner wishes (service and breadth) and outer manner (will and leadership) differ: a person with this name needs close people to see more than what is shown. Name days: June 3.