Ileana is a feminine given name commonly used in Romanian and other Romance language-speaking countries such as Spain and Italy.

Etymology and Meaning

The name ''Ileana'' is derived from the Greek name ''Helénē'' (Ἑλένη), meaning "torch" or "light." It is the Romanian and some Romance language forms of the name Helen, historically popular due to the legendary figure Helen of Troy.Behind the Name. "Ileana." https://www.behindthename.com/name/ileana

Usage

''Ileana'' is primarily used in Romania and Moldova, but variants and related names appear in Italy, Spain, and other Romance language countries.Room, Adrian. ''Dictionary of First Names''. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 1992.

Romanian Mythology

In Romanian folklore, the name Ileana is associated with the character ''Ileana Cosânzeana'', a beautiful and heroic fairy princess often portrayed as the idealized woman or goddess of love and beauty. Ileana Cosânzeana appears in numerous Romanian fairy tales as a symbol of purity and grace.Hasdeu, Bogdan Petriceicu. ''Legends and Folk Tales of the Romanians''. Bucharest, 1885.

People

Ileana

* Princess Ileana of Romania (1909–1991) *

Ileana Beltrán Ileana Benita Beltrán Zulueta (born May 24, 1971, in Havana, Ciudad de la Habana) is a retired female judoka from Cuba. She twice competed for her native country at the Summer Olympics in the Women's Half-Middleweight (– 61 kg) division ...

, Cuban

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

ka * Ileana Cabra, Puerto Rican singer * Ileana Citaristi, Italian dancer * Ileana Cosânzeana, figure in Romanian mythology *

Ileana Cotrubaș Ileana Cotrubaș (; born 9 June 1939) is a Romanian operatic soprano whose career spanned from the 1960s to the 1980s. She was much admired for her acting skills and facility for singing opera in many different languages. Life and career Cotru ...

, Romanian opera soprano *

Illeana Douglas Illeana Hesselberg ( ; born July 25, 1961), known professionally as Illeana Douglas, is an American actress and filmmaker. She appeared in three episodes of '' Six Feet Under'', for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination as Outsta ...

, American actress *

Ileana D'Cruz Ileana D'Cruz (born 1 November 1986) is a Portuguese actress who primarily appears in Telugu and Hindi films. She is the recipient of several accolades including a Filmfare Award and a Filmfare Awards South. D'Cruz made her screen debut in 2 ...

, Indian-born Portuguese actress * Ileana Gyulai-Drîmbă-Jenei, Romanian fencer * Ileana Márquez (born 1996), Venezuelan beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Venezuela 2023 * Ileana Ongar, former Italian hurdler *

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Ileana Ros-Lehtinen ( ; ; born July 15, 1952) is an American politician and lobbyist from Miami, Florida, who represented from 1989 to 2019. By the end of her tenure, she was the most senior U.S. Representative from Florida. She was Chairwoman ...

, member of the US House of Representatives * Ileana Salvador, former Italian race walker * Ileana Sararoiu (1936–1979), Romanian singer * Ileana Silai, Romanian runner *

Ileana Sonnabend Ileana Sonnabend (née Schapira, October 29, 1914 – October 21, 2007) was a Romanian-American art dealer of 20th-century art. The Sonnabend Gallery opened in Paris in 1962 and was instrumental in making American art of the 1960s known in Europe, ...

, Romanian art dealer

Iliana

* Iliana Biridakis, Jordanian archer *

Iliana Fox Iliana Fox (born Iliana Jan Fox Gaitán on 3 January 1977) is a Mexican actress. Fox grew up in Mexico, but with periods of residence in Canada and the UK. She has participated in various telenovelas such as ''Machos'' and ''Mirada de Mujer: E ...

, English-born Mexican actress * Iliana Hernández, Cuban journalist *

Iliana Ivanova Iliana Naydenova Ivanova (; born 14 September 1975) is a Member of the European Court of Auditors since 2025. She previously served as European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth between 2023 and 2024. Early life ...

, Bulgarian politician and economist * Iliana Nikolova, Bulgarian canoe sprinter * Iliana Ortega, Mexican artist *

Iliana Raeva Iliana Raycheva Raeva-Sirakova (; ; born 15 March 1963) is a Bulgarian gymnast who competed in modern rhythmic gymnastics for her country from 1978 to 1983 . She was one of the Golden Girls of Bulgaria that dominated Rhythmic Gymnastics in 1980 ...

, Bulgarian gymnast * Iliana Ruzza, Venezuelan public official *

Iliana Yotova Iliana Malinova Iotova (; born 24 October 1964) is a Bulgarian politician who has been serving as Vice President of Bulgaria since 2017. She was the running mate of Rumen Radev, who defeated GERB nominee Tsetska Tsacheva in the second round of ...

, Bulgarian politician

Places

* Ileana, a commune in Călăraşi County, Romania * Ileana, a village in

Glodeanu Sărat Glodeanu Sărat is a commune in Buzău County, Muntenia, Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to t ...

Commune, Buzău County, Romania *

Ilenuța Ilenuța is a village in Fălești District, Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania ...

, a village in Fălești District, Moldova

Fictional characters

* Illeana Scott, played by

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...

in ''Taking Lives''

Literature

* Ileana Cosânzeana, a figure in Romanian folk literature * Ileana Sinziana, a Romanian fairy tale

References

{{given name Romanian feminine given names Spanish feminine given names Feminine given names