Fun Facts About the Name Arna
- 624 babies named Arna: U.S. records list 624 babies given the name Arna from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Arna Mean?
Arna has more than one independent origin. In Old Norse and Scandinavian usage, it is a feminine name associated with the Old Norse word arni, meaning "eagle." It can also serve as a short form of longer women's names beginning with Arn-, such as Arnbjörg and Arnhildur, where the first element carries the same eagle sense. In Indian usage, Arna is generally linked to Sanskrit arṇa (अर्ण), a noun meaning "wave," "stream," or "flood." The literal sense is moving water, not a symbolic personality trait. These derivations are separate: the Scandinavian name comes from Germanic vocabulary, while the Indian name comes from Sanskrit. A classical Greek Arne or Arna is sometimes mentioned, but it is not clearly the same given name and should not be merged with these origins without better evidence.
Arna Name History & Origins
In Scandinavia, Arna belongs to a group of names built on the Old Norse element arn-. The masculine name Árni is documented in medieval Iceland, and Arna appears as its feminine counterpart and as a short form of longer women's names such as Arnbjörg, Arndís, Arnfríður, and Arnhildur. In Iceland, the name is recognized by the Icelandic Naming Committee; in Norway, it is also used as a given name, while the Bergen district name Arna is a separate place-name development.
In India, Arna is used as a feminine name. It is generally connected with the Sanskrit noun arṇa (अर्ण), which belongs to a large family of terms for water and movement, including arṇava, "ocean." The exact route by which this word became a modern given name is not documented in detail, and some name lists give different explanations. The Sanskrit and Scandinavian names are historically unrelated; they happen to share the same spelling in English. A classical Greek Arne or Arna - the name of a nymph in myth and of a Thessalian city - is a separate tradition and is not the source of the Scandinavian or Indian names.
How Popular is the Name Arna?
Arna has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2021. Its best rank was #1,612 in 1903.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,177 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2024 | #5,300 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 2023 | #5,264 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 2022 | #5,328 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 2021 | #4,624 | 29 | 0.0018% |
| 2020 | #4,655 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 2019 | #6,004 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2018 | #12,626 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #8,847 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2016 | #6,691 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2015 | #7,662 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2014 | #6,012 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2013 | #12,129 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #13,662 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #11,371 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #12,554 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #12,707 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #8,504 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #8,063 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1968 | #6,301 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #5,843 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #5,845 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #4,646 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1963 | #4,561 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1961 | #5,888 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #5,202 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #4,041 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1958 | #4,924 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #5,408 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #4,481 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1955 | #3,104 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1954 | #3,167 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1953 | #2,599 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1952 | #3,821 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1951 | #3,497 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1950 | #2,658 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1949 | #2,735 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1948 | #3,902 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1947 | #4,023 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1946 | #4,453 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1945 | #3,696 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1944 | #3,151 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1943 | #3,509 | 8 | 0.0006% |
| 1942 | #4,146 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1940 | #3,526 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1939 | #4,294 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1937 | #4,290 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1935 | #3,781 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1934 | #3,836 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1933 | #4,258 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1928 | #3,769 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1927 | #4,857 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1926 | #4,338 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #4,486 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1923 | #3,379 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1921 | #3,179 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1920 | #4,433 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1919 | #3,237 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1918 | #3,259 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1917 | #4,127 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1903 | #1,612 | 6 | 0.0023% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Arna Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Arna's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Arna's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.