The story behind Ilona
From Hungarian Ilona. A rare variant of Helen or Helena.
Other language forms and explanations (4)
Czech entry
Borrowed from Hungarian Ilona.
Finnish entry
Borrowed from Hungarian Ilona (“Helen”). By folk etymology confused with Finnish ilona (“as a joy”) as in Tämä lapsi on meille ilona (“This child is a joy to us”).
German entry
From Hungarian Ilona.
Hungarian entry
a female given name from Ancient Greek, equivalent to English Helen
Pronunciation
Received-Pronunciation: /ɪˈləʊnə/
Regional pronunciation variants
- Czech: [ˈɪlona]
- Finnish: /ˈilonɑ/
- Finnish: [ˈilo̞nɑ̝]
- German: /iˈloːna/
- German: /ˈiːlona/
- German: /ˈɪlona/
- Hungarian: [ˈilonɒ]
Popularity
Ilona ranked #3861 in US for 2025.
Source: SSA national baby names
Names Similar to Ilona
Iolanda
Uncertain: * either a variant of Violante, from Late Latin Violantes, from Latin viola (“violet”), through Old French Yolande; * or from Ancient Greek ἴον ἄνθος (íon ánthos,…
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Irena
Learned borrowing from Latin Īrēnē, from Ancient Greek Εἰρήνη (Eirḗnē). Derived from Ancient Greek Εἰρήνη (Eirḗnē).
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Agata
Learned borrowing from Latin Agatha, from Ancient Greek Ἀγαθή (Agathḗ).
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Ágata
Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese Ágata, from Latin Agatha, from Ancient Greek Ἀγαθή (Agathḗ).
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Àgata
Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἀγαθή (Agathḗ), from ἀγαθός (agathós, “good”).
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Agatha
Borrowed from Latin Agatha, from Ancient Greek Ἀγαθή (Agathḗ), from Ancient Greek ἀγαθός (agathós, “good”). Ultimately from Ancient Greek Ἀγαθή (Agathḗ), feminine of ἀγαθός…
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Middle Names for Ilona
Bairbre
From Latin Barbara (name of a legendary saint), feminine form of barbarus, from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “strange, foreign”). Cognate with Scottish Gaelic Barabal and…
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 1 syllable
- Ending
- ends E
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Basile
Semi-learned borrowing from Latin Basilius, from Ancient Greek Βασίλειος (Basíleios).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends E
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Bernice
Biblical form of Berenice, from Ancient Greek Βερενίκη (Bereníkē).
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends E
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Sibling Names for Ilona
Aarón
a male given name from Latin [in turn from Ancient Greek, in turn from Hebrew], equivalent to English Aaron
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends N
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length
Abdiasz
Learned borrowing from Latin Abdias, from Ancient Greek Ἀβδίας (Abdías), from Hebrew עובדיה.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends Z
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length
Abel
English Abel From Middle English Abel, from Old English Ābel, from Latin Abel, from Ancient Greek Ἅβελ (Hábel), from Biblical Hebrew הֶבֶל (Héḇel, “Abel”), possibly from the…
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends L
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length