girl's name
Diana
dee-AH-nah
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 388,822
the United States
#244
2025 births
Diana is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "divine" or "heavenly," the Roman goddess of the hunt and the moon. It ranks 169th in France and 244th in the United States, and it is stable.
- Diana is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1957, when 9,459 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,596 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Diana over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 118 |
| 1890s | 225 |
| 1900s | 353 |
| 1910s | 1,337 |
| 1920s | 3,228 |
| 1930s | 9,512 |
| 1940s | 53,853 |
| 1950s | 80,403 |
| 1960s | 65,221 |
| 1970s | 33,506 |
| 1980s | 37,225 |
| 1990s | 33,996 |
| 2000s | 29,612 |
| 2010s | 13,411 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 7,771 |
What Diana means
Diana means divine, heavenly or bright, from an Indo-European root for daylight and the sky that also gives the Latin dies, a day, and the name of Jupiter. The sense is brightness rather than the moon specifically.
Where Diana comes from
Diana comes from the Latin Diana, generally derived from an Indo-European root meaning to shine or the daytime sky — the same root behind dies and behind Jupiter, from Dyeus pater. She is the goddess of the hunt, of wild animals and of the moon, identified with the Greek Artemis, and her temple at Ephesus was one of the seven wonders; the riot in Acts 19 is raised by silversmiths whose trade in her shrines is threatened. Her cult persisted long enough in Europe that medieval churchmen wrote against women who believed they rode at night with Diana. The name's modern weight in Britain is entirely Diana, Princess of Wales, whose death in 1997 produced a brief spike in the name followed by a sharp and lasting decline — parents avoided it afterward rather than choosing it.
Diana in use
Diana ranks 169th in France with about 325 births in 2025 and 244th in the United States with 1,277 births, its largest market. It is stable in our data with a peak in 1957 — well before the Princess of Wales, whose effect on the figures was brief. Our records carry it from 1880, and it appears in every market we hold except Scotland.
How popular is Diana?
In 2025, Diana was given to 1,277 babies in the United States, ranking #244 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Diana 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 Diana
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Diana also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Diana over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Diana 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 Diana
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Diana — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Diana
What does the name Diana mean?
Diana means "divine" or "heavenly," from a root meaning to shine or the daytime sky.
Who was the goddess Diana?
The Roman goddess of the hunt and the moon, identified with the Greek Artemis. Her temple at Ephesus was one of the seven wonders.
Did Princess Diana make the name popular?
Her death in 1997 produced a brief spike followed by a lasting decline — the name's real peak in our data is 1957.
How popular is Diana?
169th in France and 244th in the United States.
Is Diana a girl's or a boy's name?
Diana is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Diana?
Diana has 3 syllables.
Is Diana a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Diana currently ranks #169 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.