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Girl · Breton or Celtic (uncertain)
Alana
Say it: uh-LAH-nuh
Meaning
Usually treated as a feminine of Alan, itself of uncertain Breton or Celtic origin. Claims that it means 'child' in Irish or 'awakening' in Hawaiian are not well established.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Used in the English-speaking world from the 20th century.
Its wave through time
Popular now
In the United States
- 59,721 babies given this name since 1930
- At its height in 2007, about 1 in 781 girls
- 1,387 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Alanna, Alanah
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.