UK girl's name
Lana
A feminine name with Hispanic roots, meaning "little small one".
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.
Lana is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Lana popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #246, with 196 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2012, with 241 births.
This profile covers 5,057 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 81% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 6,221 living people in the UK are called Lana. 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
- • Lana ranked #246 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 196 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2012, when 241 girls were registered as Lana.
- • Lana ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #179 in 2024.
- • About 6,221 living people in the UK are estimated to have Lana as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#246
2024
Births in 2024
196
Latest year
Peak year
2012
241 births
Estimated living
6,221
2026
Meaning
What does Lana mean?
The name Lana is a feminine given name of Spanish and Russian origins. It is derived from the Latin word "lana" meaning "wool" or "woolen garment". In Spanish, the name may have originated as a nickname for a woman who worked with wool or wore woolen clothing.
In Russian, the name Lana is a diminutive form of the Slavic name Svetlana, which means "light" or "luminous". It became popular in Russia and other Slavic countries in the 20th century.
One of the earliest known historical references to the name Lana is in the 12th century, when it was recorded as a medieval Spanish name. It was also used as a feminine form of the Italian name Lano, which was a variant of the name Lanfranco, meaning "free landowner".
Lana is mentioned in the epic poem "The Lusiads" by the Portuguese writer Luís de Camões, written in the 16th century. The poem tells the story of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama's journey to India.
Some notable historical figures with the name Lana include Lana Turner (1921-1995), an American actress who was known for her roles in films such as "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and "Imitation of Life". Lana Del Rey (born 1986) is an American singer and songwriter, known for her album "Born to Die" and her vintage, cinematic style.
Lana Wachowski (born 1965) is an American film director, writer, and producer, best known for co-creating the "Matrix" trilogy with her sister Lilly Wachowski. Lana Parrilla (born 1977) is an American actress, known for her role as the Evil Queen/Regina Mills in the TV series "Once Upon a Time".
Lana Clarkson (1962-2003) was an American actress and model who was tragically killed by record producer Phil Spector in 2003.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Lana over time
The chart below shows babies named Lana 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 Lana, the clearest high point is 2012. The latest England and Wales figure is 196 births in 2024, compared with 241 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lana by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Lana 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 | #236 | 1,032 | 5 |
| 2010s | #237 | 2,141 | 10 |
| 2000s | #292 | 1,571 | 10 |
| 1990s | #405 | 313 | 4 |
Geography
Where Lana is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Lana. 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.
Lana ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #179 in 2024.
Across the UK
Lana in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#188 in 2024
51 years of NRS records, 927 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#179 in 2024
26 years of NISRA records, 272 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Lana
-
Lana Bagen
figure skater
British figure skater
1996-
-
Lana Skeldon
rugby union player
Scottish rugby union player
1993-
-
Lana Doran
basketball player
English basketball player (born 1993)
1993-
-
Lana Clelland
association football player
Scottish association football player (born 1993)
1993-
-
Lana Bojanić
writer; poet; psychologist
Croatian poet and psychologist
1992-
-
Lana Rose Palumbo
(born 1991)
1991-
-
Lana Locke
visual artist
1982-
-
Lana Watson
curler
English female curler
1976-
Related
Names similar to Lana
- Lily 72,956
- Lucy 70,663
- Lauren 50,664
- Leah 33,185
- Lola 24,525
- Layla 24,520
- Laura 23,471
- Lilly 21,714
- Lydia 18,353
- Libby 14,515
- Lara 13,415
- Lacey 13,406
FAQ
Lana: questions and answers
How popular is the name Lana in the UK right now?
In 2024, Lana was ranked #246 for girls in England and Wales, with 196 births registered.
When was Lana most popular?
The peak year on record was 2012, with 241 babies registered as Lana in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Lana?
A feminine name with Hispanic roots, meaning "little small one".
How many people are called Lana in the UK?
A total of 5,057 babies have been registered as Lana across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 927 more in Scotland and 272 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Lana most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Lana ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #179 in 2024. 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.