Fun Facts About the Name Rihanna
- More than 6 thousand babies named Rihanna: U.S. records list 6,614 babies given the name Rihanna from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 boys received the name Rihanna - about 1 boy for every 1,322 girls.
What Does the Name Rihanna Mean?
Rihanna has no single firmly established meaning. The explanation most often offered treats it as an English spelling of the Welsh name Rhiannon, which scholars reconstruct from an earlier Celtic form usually written *Rīgantona, built on a root meaning "king" or "ruler" plus a feminine ending. On that reconstruction the sense is commonly given as "great queen" or "divine queen," but the reconstruction is a proposal, not a recorded gloss.
A separate explanation links the spelling to the Arabic rayḥāna (ريحانة), "basil," and by extension a fragrant herb - a name used in Arabic- and Urdu-speaking regions in forms such as Rayhana and Rehana. No documented chain connects the English spelling Rihanna to either source, so the two derivations remain competing possibilities rather than settled etymology.
Rihanna Name History & Origins
The name Rhiannon belongs to medieval Welsh tradition, where Rhiannon is a leading figure in the tales collected as the Mabinogion. The stories survive in manuscripts copied in the 14th century, though the material behind them is older. Rhiannon has long been used as a given name in Wales, and the medieval texts themselves do not explain what the name meant to their audience; the "great queen" sense is modern scholarly reconstruction.
Rihanna as an English-language given name is best known through the Barbadian singer Rihanna (Robyn Rihanna Fenty, born 1988), whose middle name it is. The spelling sits close to the Welsh Rhiannon and to the Arabic Rayhana, but it matches neither a standard Welsh form nor a standard Arabic transliteration, and how the name reached the spelling now in use is not documented.
How Popular is the Name Rihanna?
Rihanna recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2008. Its best rank was #311 in 2008.
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 | #2,150 | 87 | 0.0054% |
| 2024 | #1,756 | 115 | 0.0071% |
| 2023 | #1,371 | 165 | 0.0103% |
| 2022 | #1,664 | 127 | 0.0077% |
| 2021 | #1,581 | 133 | 0.0081% |
| 2020 | #1,492 | 144 | 0.0089% |
| 2019 | #1,646 | 129 | 0.0077% |
| 2018 | #1,375 | 164 | 0.0096% |
| 2017 | #1,414 | 162 | 0.0094% |
| 2016 | #1,333 | 178 | 0.0100% |
| 2015 | #1,335 | 178 | 0.0100% |
| 2014 | #1,181 | 208 | 0.0116% |
| 2013 | #940 | 269 | 0.0153% |
| 2012 | #831 | 323 | 0.0183% |
| 2011 | #726 | 381 | 0.0217% |
| 2010 | #587 | 500 | 0.0281% |
| 2009 | #389 | 825 | 0.0449% |
| 2008 | #311 | 1,075 | 0.0569% |
| 2007 | #415 | 789 | 0.0410% |
| 2006 | #531 | 572 | 0.0301% |
| 2005 | #2,293 | 79 | 0.0043% |
| 2000 | #14,625 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | #14,169 | 5 | 0.0002% |
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 Rihanna Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are a law unto itself. Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You are tolerant and like to help humanity. You are very active. You are generally warmhearted and gives freely of your time, energy, and sympathetic understanding. You have tolerance and acceptance of the frailties of others. Universal and humanitarian in outlook. This is very compassionate name. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Rihanna's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Rihanna's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.