Given name & surname
Diana
“goddess”
Diana carries an ancient Roman mythological association, while the name’s exact derivation remains uncertain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Diana goes back to Proto-Italic *deiwā, meaning “goddess.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Latin, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
From Late Latin Diāna, from Latin Dīāna, from Old Latin Dīvāna, from Proto-Italic *deiwā (“goddess”), from Proto-Indo-European *-nós, built from Latin dīvus + -āna.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
In Roman mythology, Diana is associated with the moon and hunting and corresponds to the Greek Artemis. The name entered British naming during the Tudor period through a renewed interest in classical names, with influence from the French form Diane.
Diana through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 369,771
- 1,284 boys · 368,487 girls
- Most popular year
- 1957
- 9,459 babies
- 2025
- 1,277
- #244 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −4%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,277 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 244 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 4.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 9,433 in 1957. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (212). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 369,707 as a first name in 2020; 2,570 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Diana’s family of names
Diana has a short form in Di. In English usage, Diana shares an earlier linguistic root with Diane. In English usage, Diana has a related form in Deanna.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Diana has relatives in 18 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
29 related names in 18 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 7
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 25
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 6
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Diana
- Diana, Princess of Walesmember of the British royal family and Princess of Wales (1961–1997)
- Diana RossAmerican singer and actress (1944-2026)
- Diana Wynne JonesEnglish children's fantasy writer (1934–2011)
- Diana KrallCanadian recording artist; jazz singer and pianistborn 1964
- NayantharaIndian actress and producer (born 1985)
- Diana HaydenIndian actress, television host, beauty queen and the winner of Miss World 1997born 1973
- Diana TaurasiAmerican basketball player (born 1982)
- Diana DorsEnglish actress1931–1984
- Diana GabaldonAmerican author (born 1952)
Characters named Diana: Miss Masque (comics character), Diana Palmer (The Phantom comic strip).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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If you love Diana, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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—
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