Ilona

Ilona is a Hungarian female name.

In Hungarian female given name, the traditional name of the Queen of the Fairies in Hungarian folklore.

Its etymology is uncertain, could be Finno-Ugric, but a common theory is that Ilona is cognate of the Greek given name Helen.

Diminutive forms include Ilonka and Ilike.

Ilona is a common name in Finland, where, according to folk etymology, it refers to the Finnish word ilo ("joy") and ilona literally means "as a joy [to someone]". It is also common in Latvia, Estonia, France, Lithuania and Poland (formerly in crown union with Hungary).

People

 * Archduchess Ilona of Austria (1927-2011)
 * Ilona Andrews, joint pen name of American novelist duo Ilona and Andrew Gordon
 * Ilona Csáková (born 1970), Czech pop singer
 * Ilona Eibenschütz (1872–1967), Hungarian pianist
 * Ilona Elek (1907–1988), Hungarian world and Olympic champion saber fencer
 * Ilona Fehér (1901–1988), Hungarian violinist and teacher
 * Ilona Gófitz, Hungarian conjoined twin
 * Ilona Graenitz (1943–2022), Austrian MP and MEP
 * Ilona Gusenbauer (born 1947), Austrian high jumper
 * Ilona Hlaváčková (born 1977), Czech swimmer
 * Ilona Jokinen (born 1981), Finnish opera singer,
 * Ilona Maher (born 1996), American rugby player, 2020 Olympian with the USA Eagles Women's Rugby 7s squad,
 * Ilona Massey (1910–1974), Hungarian actress
 * Ilona Mitrecey (born 1993), French singer
 * Ilona Novák (1925–2019), Hungarian swimmer
 * Ilona Ostrowska, Polish actress
 * Ilona Palásti (1924–1991), Hungarian mathematician
 * Ilona Senderek (born 1988), Polish figure skater
 * Ilona Slupianek (born 1956), retired world champion shot putter who competed for East Germany
 * Ilona Staller (born 1951), aka Cicciolina, Hungarian-born Italian porn-star, sometime politician, and singer
 * Ilona Štěpánová-Kurzová (1899–1975), Czech concert pianist and piano teacher
 * Ilona Szabó de Carvalho (born 1978), Brazilian political scientist
 * Ilona Szilágyi (before 1455–1497), Hungarian princess consort of Wallachia as the second wife of Vlad III the Impaler
 * Ilona Tőzsér, Hungarian sprint canoer
 * Ilona Zrínyi (1643–1703), Hungarian-Croatian countess