Fun Facts About the Name Sana
- More than 4 thousand babies named Sana: U.S. records list 4,878 babies given the name Sana from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 boys received the name Sana - about 1 boy for every 975 girls.
What Does the Name Sana Mean?
Sana is an Arabic feminine given name taken from the noun sanāʾ (سناء), meaning "radiance," "brilliance," or "splendor." The word comes from a root associated with shining and with height or loftiness, which is why the noun can also suggest something exalted.
A second Arabic word, thanāʾ (ثناء), means "praise" or "commendation." Where the letter th is written simply as "s" in English - as commonly in South Asia - that word also appears as Sana. So some families intend "praise" and others "radiance," and the two Arabic words, different in spelling and sound, look identical once transliterated.
In Japan, Sana (usually さな) is a separate feminine given name assembled from kanji read sa and na; its meaning depends on the characters chosen, and it has no link to the Arabic name. Sanskrit has a word sana (सन) meaning "old," but a connection between that word and the modern given name is not established.
Sana Name History & Origins
Sana is not built from two elements the way such Arabic names as Abd Allah or Nur al-Din are; it is a single common noun used directly as a name, one of the usual patterns for Arabic feminine names. It is used throughout the Arabic-speaking countries and, with the spread of Arabic and Islam, in Iran, South Asia, and other Muslim regions.
Because the Arabic letter ث is often transliterated as "s" rather than "th" in South Asian English, the name Sana there is frequently understood as "praise" from thanāʾ, while in Arabic-speaking countries the sense is usually "radiance." The Persian name Sana (سنا) is read in the "brightness" sense.
The Yemeni capital Sana'a is written صنعاء, a different word with different root letters and a different meaning. English spellings of the two are nearly identical, which is the main source of confusion between them.
Japanese Sana developed independently. It belongs to the large group of Japanese female names made from two kanji, one read sa and the other na, so the written meaning changes from one combination to another.
How Popular is the Name Sana?
Sana 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 2022. Its best rank was #1,314 in 2022.
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 | #1,434 | 151 | 0.0094% |
| 2024 | #1,449 | 152 | 0.0094% |
| 2023 | #1,322 | 172 | 0.0107% |
| 2022 | #1,314 | 180 | 0.0110% |
| 2021 | #1,796 | 113 | 0.0069% |
| 2020 | #2,029 | 92 | 0.0057% |
| 2019 | #1,499 | 146 | 0.0087% |
| 2018 | #1,563 | 139 | 0.0082% |
| 2017 | #1,589 | 138 | 0.0080% |
| 2016 | #1,730 | 122 | 0.0069% |
| 2015 | #1,676 | 128 | 0.0072% |
| 2014 | #1,764 | 118 | 0.0066% |
| 2013 | #1,925 | 104 | 0.0059% |
| 2012 | #2,011 | 97 | 0.0055% |
| 2011 | #1,658 | 129 | 0.0073% |
| 2010 | #1,989 | 101 | 0.0057% |
| 2009 | #1,929 | 109 | 0.0059% |
| 2008 | #1,875 | 114 | 0.0060% |
| 2007 | #1,825 | 117 | 0.0061% |
| 2006 | #1,661 | 128 | 0.0067% |
| 2005 | #1,890 | 103 | 0.0056% |
| 2004 | #1,626 | 120 | 0.0065% |
| 2003 | #1,624 | 119 | 0.0065% |
| 2002 | #1,452 | 132 | 0.0073% |
| 2001 | #1,464 | 129 | 0.0072% |
| 2000 | #1,556 | 115 | 0.0063% |
| 1999 | #1,420 | 124 | 0.0070% |
| 1998 | #1,585 | 104 | 0.0059% |
| 1997 | #1,705 | 92 | 0.0053% |
| 1996 | #1,894 | 77 | 0.0044% |
| 1995 | #1,637 | 91 | 0.0052% |
| 1994 | #1,857 | 77 | 0.0043% |
| 1993 | #1,749 | 85 | 0.0047% |
| 1992 | #1,699 | 89 | 0.0048% |
| 1991 | #1,871 | 76 | 0.0041% |
| 1990 | #1,920 | 73 | 0.0038% |
| 1989 | #1,766 | 77 | 0.0042% |
| 1988 | #2,087 | 56 | 0.0031% |
| 1987 | #2,057 | 54 | 0.0031% |
| 1986 | #1,765 | 66 | 0.0038% |
| 1985 | #2,310 | 44 | 0.0026% |
| 1984 | #2,291 | 43 | 0.0026% |
| 1983 | #1,879 | 56 | 0.0034% |
| 1982 | #2,630 | 36 | 0.0021% |
| 1981 | #3,710 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1980 | #3,481 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 1979 | #2,915 | 30 | 0.0019% |
| 1978 | #3,610 | 21 | 0.0014% |
| 1977 | #7,408 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #3,923 | 17 | 0.0012% |
| 1975 | #4,315 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1974 | #8,497 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #3,922 | 16 | 0.0011% |
| 1972 | #5,379 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1971 | #5,051 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1970 | #6,246 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1968 | #6,858 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #7,407 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #5,204 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1964 | #7,613 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #5,751 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #7,359 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1960 | #5,607 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #5,842 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #2,947 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1954 | #3,919 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1951 | #4,751 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1945 | #5,139 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1924 | #5,768 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1923 | #5,597 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | #7,394 | 5 | 0.0003% |
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 Sana Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Sana's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Sana's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.