The baby name Eliana is a fast-rising favorite with a stylish sound and more history than you might guess.
Thanks to Teresa for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME ELIANA MEAN?
On paper, Eliana has two distinct origins and meanings.
In practice, there could be even more.
First up: Eliana is a Hebrew name meaning “my God has answered.” It’s sometimes chosen to signify a child born after struggles.
Alternatively, Eliana might come from the Roman family name Aelius. Feminine form Aeliana looks quite a bit like the baby name Eliana. In that case, it’s likely derived from the Greek word helios, associated with the sun.
But it’s easy to imagine Eliana developing as a girl’s name in several other ways, too. Eleanor was spelled Elianor and Alianora, to name just two. Eliana looks like a short form of Elianor. Liana developed from longer names like Juliana. There’s also Elia, Elena, Alina, and half-a-dozen more names that are just a little bit different.
Ileana and Alyona sound the same in English, but they’re both Slavic cousins to Helen via Elena. Helen is originally a Greek name meaning torch, though thanks to Elena, it’s sometimes tough to draw a line between forms of Eleanor and Helen.
It all makes the baby name Eliana seem inevitable.
ELLIE NAMES
Another reason Eliana is so appealing?
We love Ellie names. From classic Eleanor to modern Elowen, sparky Eloise to restrained Ellen. El- names are everywhere.
Ana, too, is powerfully popular. There’s Annabelle and Ariana, Viviana and Anais, to name just a few.
SPELLING OPTIONS
Also worth noting: there’s more than one spelling for Eliana ranked in the current US Top 1000.
The following names also appear in the current list of most popular girl names:
- Aliana
- Alianna
- Elianna
- Elliana
- Ellianna
In addition to all of the Alianas and Ellianas in the current US Top 1000, spellings like Elyana are also in use.
Change the spelling, and the most likely origin and meaning might shift, too.
INTERNATIONAL POWERHOUSE
It’s a delightfully international name. Famous figures include:
- Brazilian television host Eliana, known by just one name
- A handful of actresses, dancers, and models, including the late Uruguayan model Eliana Ramos.
It’s heard across the English-speaking world, and is well-established in Spanish-speaking countries, too. The baby name Eliana is popular in Israel, the Netherlands, France and Francophone Canada, too.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME ELIANA?
When it comes to popularity in the United States, Eliana is one of the fastest-rising names of our moment.
Along with names like Lainey and Ailany, Eliana rose rapidly in US last year.
Rare in the US before the 1980s and 90s, the baby name Eliana entered the US Top 500 in 2001, the Top 100 in 2016, and reached an all-time high of #18 in 2024.
It fits neatly with our preference for liquid names: vowel-forward, light on consontants.
FAST-RISING FAVORITE
The baby name Eliana checks all the boxes. Many parents are looking for a name that’s different from what they knew growing up, but still familiar.
Eliana is a softer take on classic Eleanor, slightly less expected than vintage favorites like Emily and Amelia.
If you’re looking for a 21st century style star, then Eliana might be the perfect name for your daughter.
What do you think of the baby name Eliana?
My top choice for a daughter was Ellianna. I made it up as a smoosh between my mother’s name, Eleanor, and the second half of my given name, Susanne. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I was not the first to come up with the name. Unfortunately, we never had a daughter to give it too. However, if my now 13 year old had been named Eliana, he would have been one of 3 in his class. The other 2 are Elianne and Elyana though. As it is, he has a top 30 name for boys, but is the only one in the whole school.