Shana
Shana was the 5213th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 25 babies. Its best year was 1984, when it ranked 174th with 1,563 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,154 places. More babies were named Shana in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Welsh, French, Hebrew
Say it SHAH-nuh /ˈʃɑnə/
- Rank in 2025
- #5,213 girls, down 581 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 25girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19841,563 babies
- Total since 1880
- 29,748babies recorded
What does the name Shana mean?
Shana has several possible sources. Wiktionary calls it an English form of the Welsh Siân (pet form Siana), the Welsh equivalent of Jane, or a version of French Jeanne; both go back to the Hebrew name meaning "God is gracious". American parents may also have formed it from Shane or Shawna. Shana was most popular in the US in the 1970s and 1980s.
Siân (Welsh, “Jane”)Jeanne (French, “Jane”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Several overlapping sources; Wiktionary's Siân/Jeanne explanation is the documented one.
Related names: Shawna, Shauna, Siân, Jane, Shane.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God, names that mean grace.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Shana', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Joan', DMNES (Durham University)
Shana popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 113 since 1972.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,213 | 25 |
| 2020 | #4,632 | 29 |
| 2010 | #3,353 | 49 |
| 2000 | #1,079 | 192 |
| 1990 | #350 | 762 |
| 1980 | #273 | 913 |
| 1970 | #293 | 992 |
| 1960 | #1,263 | 76 |
| 1950 | #3,030 | 13 |
| 1940 | #3,470 | 8 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Shana, counting every spelling?
Shana is the most common spelling of a name family that had 32 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 32 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shana | 25 | #5,213 | 119 |
| Shanna | 7 | #12,982 | 47 |
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 Shana?
25 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Shana (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Shana 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 337 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Shana.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Shana?
About 28,200 people born in the US named Shana are alive today, with a median age of 45; half are between 38 and 51. That makes Shana mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Shana by state
How common Shana was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Shana: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Shana, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Shana · Sibling names for Shana
Questions about the name Shana
What does Shana mean?
The origin of Shana is uncertain: several overlapping sources; Wiktionary's Siân/Jeanne explanation is the documented one.
How popular is the name Shana?
Shana was the 5213th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 25 babies. Its best year was 1984, when it ranked 174th with 1,563 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,154 places. More babies were named Shana in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Shana a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Shana in the US.
Where is Shana most popular?
In 2021–2025, Shana was most common in New Jersey (0.06 per 1,000 girls), followed by New York and New York.