Susana

About Susana

Susana is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Susanna, a name whose Hebrew root means “lily.” With a single n and three clear syllables, it is part of a wide international family that includes Susan and Suzanne. Singer Susana Baca and former New Mexico governor Susana Martinez give the spelling prominent musical and political connections.

Meaning and biblical history

The name comes through Greek Sousanna from Hebrew Shoshanna, derived from shoshan, “lily.” The flower word may ultimately be related to Egyptian sšn, “lotus,” although that deeper connection is proposed rather than settled.

Susanna is the woman falsely accused of adultery in the biblical story associated with Daniel. Daniel questions her accusers separately and exposes the contradictions in their testimony, clearing her name.

Another Susanna appears in the New Testament among the women who supported Jesus's ministry. These two figures helped give the name a long religious history.

Spanish and Portuguese Susana belongs to the same family as English Susan, French Suzanne, and the longer spelling Susannah. Portuguese also uses Suzana, and Spanish Susanita is a familiar diminutive.

Susana Baca and Afro-Peruvian music

Peruvian singer Susana Baca has played an important part in bringing Afro-Peruvian music to wider audiences. Her work combines performance with the preservation and study of traditions that had received too little public recognition.

In 1992 she and her husband Ricardo Pereira founded the Instituto Negrocontinuo to research songs and dances and pass that knowledge to younger Peruvian artists.

Her appearance on the 1995 compilation The Soul of Black Peru helped introduce her voice internationally. The compilation led to a series of albums with the Luaka Bop label.

Baca won the 2002 Latin Grammy for Best Folk Album for Lamento Negro. That award gives Susana a precise musical landmark alongside the broader cultural work behind her performances.

Susana Martinez

Susana Martinez served as governor of New Mexico from January 2011 to January 2019. She was the state's first female governor and the first Hispanic woman elected governor in United States history.

Before becoming governor she worked as a prosecutor and served as district attorney in Doña Ana County. Her career gives the name a public-service association separate from Baca's work in music and cultural preservation.

The two bearers place the same spelling in different parts of the Spanish-speaking world: one in Peruvian music, the other in American state government.

Pronunciation and American popularity

Spanish Susana is pronounced soo-SAH-nah, with stress on the middle syllable. Both s sounds remain soft and unvoiced, unlike the z sound heard in some other language forms of the name.

Susana reached its largest annual female count in the United States in 1993, with 537 girls and a rank of 473rd. The count was 323 girls in 2000 and 219 in 2010.

In 2025, eighty-two girls received the exact spelling and it ranked 2,254th. Its largest American newborn generation belongs to the early 1990s.

How popular is Susana?

In 2025, Susana ranked #2,254 among girls in the United States, with 82 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1881; its largest annual count was 537 in 1993. 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.