Given name
Ethna
“a graceful woman”
In Irish use, Ethna is used as a form of Eithne.
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Irish interpretation is “a graceful woman.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Irish.
How it developed
In Irish use, Ethna is used as a form of Eithne.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1892. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Ethna connects to the Aidan name family through Edana. The history of Aidan gives this family its wider story. Aidan experienced a revival in the 20th century.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Ethna through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 38
- 0 boys · 38 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 9 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 7 in 1924. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 9 in 1921. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 136 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.
Ethna’s family of names
In Irish usage, Ethna has a conventional equivalent in the German form Edna. Ethna has a related form in Edana. Ethna is an English adaptation of Eithne.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Ethna
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ethna, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Una
“one who is pure; chaste”
>99% girls
Enid
“one who gives life”
>99% girls
Mescal
“descendant of Meisceall”
>99% girls
Effie
“one who speaks well” · “fruitful”
>99% girls
Alva
“one who has a fair complexion” · “a bright man”
24% boys · 76% girls
Aline
“one who pays homage to Ireland”
>99% girls
Rowena
“one who is fair and slender” · “having much fame and happiness”
>99% girls
Muriel
“of the shining sea”
>99% girls