Given name
Alanna
“beautiful and fair woman; dear child”·“one who is precious”·“resembling a little rock”
Alanna is a variant of Alaina. One French interpretation is “beautiful and fair woman; dear child.” In English use, Alanna is a feminine form of Alan. Interpretations include “one who is precious” and “resembling a little rock”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Alanna is a variant of Alaina. One French interpretation is “beautiful and fair woman; dear child.” In English use, Alanna is a feminine form of Alan. Interpretations include “one who is precious” and “resembling a little rock”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Alanna is a variant of Alaina. An origin associated with Alaina is French. In English use, Alanna is a feminine form of Alan. A possible origin is Celtic, although the derivation remains uncertain. In English use, Alanna is a variant of Alannah. A possible origin is Hebrew, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Alanna is a feminine form of Alan.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1930. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Alanna through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 27,019
- 7 boys · 27,012 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 1,099 babies
- 2025
- 1,099
- #280 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +42%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,099 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 280 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 42.1% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (171). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 20,264 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Alanna’s family of names
In English usage, Alanna is a feminine form of Alan. In English usage, Alanna has an alternative spelling in Alana. Alanna has a related form in Alana.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Alanna
- Alanna UbachAmerican actress (born 1975)
- Alanna MastersonAmerican actressborn 1988
- Alanna KennedyAustralian association football playerborn 1995
- Alanna SmithAustralian basketball player (born 1996)
- Alanna KrausCanadian short track speed skaterborn 1977
- Alanna ArringtonAmerican modelborn 1998
- Alanna GoldieCanadian fencerborn 1994
- Alanna BroderickJamaican tennis playerborn 1980
- Alanna KnightBritish writer (1923–2020)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Alanna, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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