Alana is a moderately popular girls' name in United States, ranking #225 in 2002 with 1,391 recorded births. The name reached its all-time peak in 2007 with 2,461 births ranking #143. Since 1996, the popularity has increased by 20.4%. In 2002, approximately 1 in every 1,292 girls born was named Alana. RISING Recent data shows the name is currently rising.
Alana is a feminine form of Alan used in English and Breton. It has a soft modern feel, but its deeper meaning depends on the older name Alan rather than a separate root of its own.
Although Alana is now familiar as an independent girls' name, it belongs to the wider Alan family. That matters because Alan itself has an uncertain early history, with more than one explanation proposed by name scholars.