UK girl's name
Ilana
Hebrew name meaning "tree" or "oak tree".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Ilana is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Ilana popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1353, with 24 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2019, with 26 births.
This profile covers 488 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 92% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 488 living people in the UK are called Ilana. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Ilana ranked #1353 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 24 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2019, when 26 girls were registered as Ilana.
- • Ilana ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #639 in 1995.
- • About 488 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ilana as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1353
2024
Births in 2024
24
Latest year
Peak year
2019
26 births
Estimated living
488
2026
Meaning
What does Ilana mean?
The given name Ilana has its origins in the Hebrew language. It is a feminine form derived from the Hebrew name Ilan, which means "tree" or "oak tree." The name has been in use since ancient times in the Middle Eastern region.
Ilana is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the Book of Samuel, as the name of one of King David's wives. This suggests that the name has been in use for at least 3,000 years.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Ilana was Ilana Rama, a prominent Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived in the 10th century CE in present-day Iraq. She is known for her contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy.
In the 11th century, Ilana bat Judah was a noted poet and author who lived in Spain during the Golden Age of Jewish culture in the Iberian Peninsula. Her works were influential in the development of Hebrew literature.
During the Middle Ages, Ilana de Cardona was a influential figure in the court of the Kingdom of Aragon in the 13th century. She played a role in the political and cultural affairs of the time.
In more recent history, Ilana Trager was a Polish-Israeli writer and educator who lived from 1915 to 1996. She was a prominent figure in the development of Hebrew literature and education in Israel.
Another notable individual with the name Ilana was Ilana Yahav, an Israeli intelligence officer and military leader who served in the Israeli Defense Forces from the 1950s to the 1980s. She played a significant role in several military operations and was highly respected for her leadership and strategic abilities.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Ilana over time
The chart below shows babies named Ilana registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Ilana, the clearest high point is 2019. The latest England and Wales figure is 24 births in 2024, compared with 26 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ilana by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ilana was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1592 | 96 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1763 | 174 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1424 | 168 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1475 | 50 | 4 |
Geography
Where Ilana is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Ilana. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Ilana ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #639 in 1995.
Across the UK
Ilana in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#639 in 1995
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Related
Names similar to Ilana
- Isabella 58,822
- Isla 51,854
- Isabelle 46,163
- Imogen 33,758
- Ivy 23,306
- Isabel 20,895
- Isobel 19,706
- Iris 10,353
- India 8,371
- Iqra 4,452
- Indie 3,873
- Iona 3,682
FAQ
Ilana: questions and answers
How popular is the name Ilana in the UK right now?
In 2024, Ilana was ranked #1353 for girls in England and Wales, with 24 births registered.
When was Ilana most popular?
The peak year on record was 2019, with 26 babies registered as Ilana in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Ilana?
Hebrew name meaning "tree" or "oak tree".
How many people are called Ilana in the UK?
A total of 488 babies have been registered as Ilana across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Ilana most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Ilana ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #639 in 1995. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.