Diana
Diana was the 244th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,277 babies. Its best year was 1946, when it ranked 42nd; the most babies were born in 1957 (9,433). Over the last ten years it has moved up 52 places. More babies were named Diana in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Latin
Say it dy-AN-uh /daɪˈænə/
- Rank in 2025
- #244 girls, up 1 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,277girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19579,433 babies
- Total since 1880
- 369,771babies recorded
What does the name Diana mean?
Diana is the Roman goddess of the hunt and the moon, identified with the Greek Artemis. DMNES calls the goddess name of uncertain origin. Wiktionary links it to an older form Divana and a root for 'divine' or 'bright sky', and Wikipedia gives the same reading, 'divine' or 'heavenly', as the usual interpretation. DMNES records Diana as a name in early modern England. Wikipedia notes older forms such as Divana. Diane and Dianne are the French-derived forms.
Dīāna (Latin, “Diana, the goddess”)dīvus (Latin, “divine (proposed link)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. DMNES calls it uncertain; the 'divine' link is the usual proposal.
Related names: Diane, Dianne, Dina, Deanna.
See also: Latin names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Diana', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Diana', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Diana (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Diana
The usual nicknames for Diana are Di and Didi.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Di · also for Diane | Traditional | — | — |
| Didi | Modern | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Dianas go by each one.
Diana popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,284 since 1926.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #244 | 1,277 |
| 2020 | #245 | 1,236 |
| 2010 | #190 | 1,622 |
| 2000 | #106 | 3,167 |
| 1990 | #98 | 3,548 |
| 1980 | #118 | 2,614 |
| 1970 | #89 | 4,373 |
| 1960 | #53 | 8,327 |
| 1950 | #47 | 7,447 |
| 1940 | #117 | 2,195 |
| 1930 | #263 | 564 |
| 1920 | #443 | 232 |
| 1910 | #553 | 55 |
| 1900 | #660 | 29 |
| 1890 | #764 | 13 |
| 1880 | #555 | 10 |
How popular is Diana, counting every spelling?
Diana is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #256 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #244 for Diana on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,345 girls in 2025.
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Diana?
1,277 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Diana (0.35 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Diana born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Diana.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Diana?
About 304,500 people born in the US named Diana are alive today, with a median age of 57; half are between 34 and 69. That makes Diana a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Diana by state
How common Diana was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (2.2×), Maryland (1.9×), Nevada (1.8×), Virginia (1.7×), California (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in West Virginia, Maine, New Hampshire.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Diana: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Diana, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Diana · Sibling names for Diana
Questions about the name Diana
What does Diana mean?
The origin of Diana is uncertain: DMNES calls it uncertain; the 'divine' link is the usual proposal.
How popular is the name Diana?
Diana was the 244th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,277 babies. Its best year was 1946, when it ranked 42nd; the most babies were born in 1957 (9,433). Over the last ten years it has moved up 52 places. More babies were named Diana in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Diana a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Diana in the US.
Where is Diana most popular?
In 2021–2025, Diana was most common in District of Columbia (1.77 per 1,000 girls), followed by Maryland and Nevada.