Lana
Lana was the 406th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 768 babies. Its best year was 1948, when it ranked 188th with 1,465 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 50 places. More babies were named Lana in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · English, Russian
Say it LAN-uh /ˈlænə/
- Rank in 2025
- #406 girls, down 13 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 768girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19481,465 babies
- Total since 1880
- 57,449babies recorded
What does the name Lana mean?
Lana has more than one source. Wiktionary gives it as a short form of Alana, or as the Russian Lana, a pet form of names such as Svetlana; the Random House dictionary instead treats it as a form of Helen. The actress Lana Turner (born Julia Turner) made it popular in the US in the 1940s. Because the source varies, no single meaning is given.
How sure is this? Uncertain. Sources disagree on which longer name Lana comes from.
Related names: Alana, Svetlana, Helen.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lana', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Lana', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Alana', DMNES, Durham University
Lana popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 15 since 1943.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #406 | 768 |
| 2020 | #393 | 793 |
| 2010 | #480 | 628 |
| 2000 | #1,013 | 209 |
| 1990 | #799 | 251 |
| 1980 | #466 | 456 |
| 1970 | #336 | 780 |
| 1960 | #339 | 776 |
| 1950 | #205 | 1,314 |
| 1940 | #306 | 424 |
| 1930 | #1,726 | 22 |
| 1920 | #2,520 | 14 |
| 1910 | #1,571 | 10 |
| 1900 | #1,271 | 10 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Lana, counting every spelling?
Lana is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #406 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together. Together these spellings went to 806 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lana | 768 | #406 | 3,913 |
| Lanna | 20 | #6,031 | 105 |
| Lanah | 18 | #6,454 | 79 |
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 Lana?
768 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lana (0.21 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Lana 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 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lana.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lana?
About 48,900 people born in the US named Lana are alive today, with a median age of 48; half are between 16 and 68. That makes Lana mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. 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.
Lana by state
How common Lana was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Hawaii (4.2×), Illinois (1.9×), California (1.7×), Michigan (1.6×), Massachusetts (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lana: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lana, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Lana · Sibling names for Lana
Lana is also a nickname for Alana.
Questions about the name Lana
What does Lana mean?
The origin of Lana is uncertain: sources disagree on which longer name Lana comes from.
How popular is the name Lana?
Lana was the 406th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 768 babies. Its best year was 1948, when it ranked 188th with 1,465 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 50 places. More babies were named Lana in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Is Lana a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Lana in the US.
Where is Lana most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lana was most common in Hawaii (2.01 per 1,000 girls), followed by Illinois and California.