Dina

About Dina

Dina is a short name with several independent histories. As a form of the biblical Dinah, it means “judged” in Hebrew. It can also shorten longer European names or represent an Arabic name with a proposed connection to religion. Its four letters travel across languages with more than one pronunciation.

Three naming traditions

Biblical Dina belongs to the Hebrew root meaning “to judge.” The woman usually called Dinah in English was a daughter of Jacob and Leah. Dina is also used in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin biblical traditions and in several modern European languages.

A separate route begins with names ending in -dina. Bernardina and Ondina, for example, can be shortened to Dina. Those longer names have their own origins. In English, Dina can also be a variant of Deanna.

Arabic Dina is written دينا. A connection with dīn, meaning “religion,” has been proposed, but that derivation is not certain. It should remain distinct from the Hebrew explanation.

These traditions account for the name's unusually wide reach. Dinah and Deena are related spellings in some contexts, while the longer name behind a particular short form determines its more distant relatives.

Dina Asher-Smith and athletics

British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith won the world 200-metre title in Doha in 2019. Her winning time of 21.88 seconds was a national record.

She also ran 10.83 seconds in the 100 metres at those championships, another national record. The combination places her name within the history of British sprinting across both individual events.

Her international career has included relay success as well as individual racing. The World Athletics record also lists an Olympic silver medal, showing a career extending beyond the single championship performance for which she is particularly remembered.

Dina Merrill and Hillwood

Actor and philanthropist Dina Merrill was born Nedenia Marjorie Hutton in 1923. Dina became the shorter name used in her public career.

She was the daughter of Marjorie Merriweather Post and financier E. F. Hutton. Her family's connection with Hillwood, Post's Washington estate, remained important throughout her life.

Merrill married actor Cliff Robertson at Hillwood in 1966, with the ceremony in the French drawing room. Her later contributions of family objects, jewelry, and clothing helped the museum preserve and present Post's history. Her use of Dina illustrates the name's life as a personal shortening as well as a standalone name.

Pronunciation and American use

English Dina is usually DEE-nuh. Italian and Spanish also stress the opening, while Hebrew places the emphasis at the end, dee-NAH. The familiar English pronunciation therefore differs from the Hebrew biblical form.

Dina's largest published annual count and best United States ranking for girls came in 1969, with 1,572 births at #199. There were 189 girls named Dina in 2000 and 169 in 2010.

In 2025, 168 girls received the name, ranking #1,327. Its recent use has been comparatively steady, at a much lower level than its late-1960s peak.

How popular is Dina?

In 2025, Dina ranked #1,327 among girls in the United States, with 168 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1883; its largest annual count was 1,572 in 1969. 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.