Alana

About Alana

Alana has two distinct naming histories. It is a feminine form of Alan, whose deeper meaning is uncertain, and a Hawaiian name associated with awakening. Its three-syllable rhythm has become familiar through bearers including basketball player Alana Beard and musician and actor Alana Haim.

Alan's feminine form

Alan was used in Brittany by the sixth century. Its origin has been connected either with a Brythonic expression meaning little rock or with the tribal name of the Alans, but neither explanation is certain.

Alana adds a feminine ending to that older name. Alanna, Alannah, Alaina, and Alayna belong to its related English family, while Lana is an established familiar form.

English pronunciations include uh-LAN-uh and uh-LAH-nuh. Both place the main stress in the middle, with light outer syllables. The difference lies in the central vowel, so the same spelling can have noticeably different sounds in everyday English.

The Hawaiian name

Hawaiian Alana has an independent connection with awakening or rising. The Hawaiian word alana carries that sense, and modern use of the personal name has also been reinforced by the familiar English spelling.

This tradition gives Alana a separate meaning from the uncertain Breton-derived Alan family. The histories meet in one written form, while the Hawaiian explanation provides its own clear image of waking or rising.

Alana Beard's defensive career

Alana Beard won the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award in both 2017 and 2018. Playing for Los Angeles, she helped make defense a defining part of the Sparks' performance.

In 2018 her 1.47 steals per game ranked fourth in the league. The award recognized more than scoring: it highlighted the work of interrupting opponents' possessions and helping limit their opportunities.

Beard's repeated recognition gives Alana a specific basketball association, centered on defensive skill across consecutive seasons rather than a single high-scoring game.

The Sparks led the league in steals in 2018, at 7.94 per game, and allowed 77 points per game. Beard's individual recognition belonged within that wider team effort to make opponents' possessions difficult.

Alana Haim in music and film

Alana Haim performs with her sisters Danielle and Este in Haim. The group received a best-new-artist Grammy nomination in 2015.

She also played Alana Kane in the 2021 film Licorice Pizza, opposite Cooper Hoffman as Gary Valentine. Set in the San Fernando Valley in 1973, the film connects her given name with both the performer and her fictional character.

American popularity

Alana's largest United States girls' count was 2,461 in 2007. Its strongest ranking came in 2025, at #140 with 2,085 births.

The name has maintained substantial use across several decades, rising from 636 girls in 1980 to 1,279 in 2000 and remaining widely used afterward.

How popular is Alana?

In 2025, Alana ranked #140 among girls in the United States, with 2,085 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1930; its largest annual count was 2,461 in 2007. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.