girl's name
Alana
a-LAH-na
- Origin Disputed
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 84,506
the United States
#140
2025 births
Alana is a girl's name whose origin is disputed. It is read as the feminine of Alan, itself of uncertain Breton origin, and separately as the Irish a leanbh, "my child" — and neither reading can be ruled out.
- Alana is a name of Disputed origin.
- Peaked in 2007, when 2,461 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,590 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1930.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Alana over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1930s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1930s | 44 |
| 1940s | 1,143 |
| 1950s | 1,413 |
| 1960s | 1,889 |
| 1970s | 3,519 |
| 1980s | 6,935 |
| 1990s | 9,220 |
| 2000s | 17,947 |
| 2010s | 16,263 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 9,922 |
What Alana means
Alana has no settled meaning. The readings offered are handsome or harmony, inherited from Alan, and my child or darling, from the Irish term of endearment.
Where Alana comes from
Alana is generally the feminine of Alan, a Breton name brought to England in 1066 whose own meaning is unresolved — handsome, harmony and little rock are all proposed and none documented. A separate Irish source is the vocative a leanbh, my child, a term of endearment that English speakers heard as a name; the Hawaiian ʻalana, meaning offering, is sometimes added but appears to be a coincidence rather than a source. The name's spread in English is twentieth-century and owes something to the actress Alana Hamilton in the 1970s.
Alana in use
Our data shows Alana stable, peaking in 2007, and it first appears in our records in 1930. Like Arlo, Myla and Indie, it is a name whose reference-work entry stacks meanings from several languages without noting that they belong to different names that reached the same spelling.
How popular is Alana?
In 2025, Alana was given to 2,085 babies in the United States, ranking #140 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Alana is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Alana
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Alana also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Alana over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Alana
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Alana in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Alana
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Alana — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Alana
What does the name Alana mean?
There is no agreed meaning. It is read as the feminine of Alan, or as the Irish a leanbh, my child.
Is Alana Irish or Breton?
Both are argued. Alan is Breton with an unresolved meaning; the Irish a leanbh is a separate term of endearment.
Is Alana related to Hawaiian?
The Hawaiian ʻalana, offering, is sometimes cited but appears to be coincidence rather than a source.
How popular is the name Alana?
In 2025, Alana was given to 2,085 babies in the United States, ranking #140 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Alana a girl's or a boy's name?
Alana is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Alana?
Alana has 3 syllables.
When was Alana most popular?
Alana peaked in 2007, when 2,461 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Alana?
Alana is usually shortened to Lana and Ali.
Is Alana a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Alana currently ranks #140 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.