Holding steady, #6,838 for girls today.
Popularity of Nana since 1881
Babies named Nana per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 2000, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Nana's real moment was 1881.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 49 | 0 |
| 1890s | 85 | 0 |
| 1900s | 53 | 0 |
| 1910s | 174 | 0 |
| 1920s | 205 | 0 |
| 1930s | 182 | 0 |
| 1940s | 202 | 0 |
| 1950s | 172 | 0 |
| 1960s | 108 | 0 |
| 1970s | 170 | 44 |
| 1980s | 192 | 69 |
| 1990s | 269 | 174 |
| 2000s | 345 | 260 |
| 2010s | 219 | 224 |
| 2020s | 105 | 95 |
Meaning & origin
Nana is a name that appears across many cultures, though its exact origins remain uncertain. In the United States, the name first appeared in Social Security records in 1881, where it was ranked 6838th with about 1 in 100454 babies receiving the name. It has remained relatively stable in usage over the decades, never rising to high popularity. The name is sometimes used for both boys and girls, though it leans feminine in English contexts. Its enduring use may be attributed to its simplicity and cross-cultural resonance, whether as a familiar term for grandmother or a standalone given name.
Nana has multiple possible origins. It may be a children's word for grandmother, used in many languages. As a given name, it is often a diminutive of Anna or other names. It can also be a Japanese name with various meanings depending on the kanji. In West Africa, it may mean 'mother of the earth' in the Akan language.
“Nana” around the world
Where Nana lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
20
babies in 2024
Sources: INSEE (France).
Nicknames & variants
Sibling names for Nana
Names that share Nana's style, for a brother or sister.
