The baby name Solana combines an elegant sound with a bright meaning.
Thanks to Ella for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME SOLANA MEAN?
The baby name Solana is of Spanish origin. It’s pretty easy to unpack: sol means sun.
Roman mythology gives us Sol, a god personifying the sun. In later years, he evolved into Sol Invictus – the unconquered sun.
But sol is also the Spanish and Portuguese word for sun. In Spanish, solano means “exposed to the sun,” as in a sunny mountainside.
Solana is the feminine form, and just plain sounds like a given name, one that suggests sunshine and the natural world.
Various cultures use the names Sol or Sola, too. In Japanese, it means sky. Norse mythology also gives us a personification of the sun known as Sol.
But the story of how the baby name Solana involved is just a little more complicated.
SAINT FRANCIS SOLANUS
Born in Spain in 1549, the future Saint Francisco Solano – also called Saint Francis Solanus – joined the Franciscan friars and served as a missionary in South America. He died in Peru in 1610.
Chances are that his surname has inspired at least some parents across the ages.
SURNAME & PLACE NAME
Besides the saint’s name, plenty of other figures have worn the surname Solano.
It’s a common place name, particularly in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries. It’s heard in Italy, as well as the United States. Florida, the sunshine state, is home to a Solana, as is sunny California.
SOLANA IN POP CULTURE
One possible association with the baby name Solana? Cryptocurrency SOL, from a parent company called Solana.
But it’s a beautiful name with a history that predates the business by quite a bit.
Tennis fans might think of Argentina’s Solana Sierra.
There’s a human character called Solana in the Pokemon universe.
But the most famous figure?
Solana Imani Rowe, known to the world as SZA. The Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter is among the most well-known R&B artists of our moment. She frequently collaborates with others, including Kendrick Lamar.
The question is whether SZA’s popularity is enough to boost Solana as a girl’s name. It feels like the answer is almost certainly yes – after all, rapper Nipsey Hussle’s birth name, Ermias, has trended in recent years.
THE RISE OF SUNNY BABY NAMES
Another factor?
Trends have favored all sorts of nature names in recent years. Sunshine-inspired choices blend a beautiful meaning with all the vibrant energy of a summer’s day.
- Sunny ranks in the girls’ Top 1000. Sunny Sandler, daughter of comedian Adam Sandler, has launched an acting career of her own.
- Sol, the word for sun in Latin, Spanish, and Portuguese, as well as other languages, stands in the girls’ Top 1000.
- Soleil, the French word for sun, also appears in the US Top 1000.
- Solene also charts in the US Top 1000. It’s actually a French name meaning solemn, but the Sol- syllable might read differently today.
- Similarly, Solange comes from the same roots as Solene, but is sometimes re-interpreted as “sun angel” in Spanish. Traditional Marisol is sometimes understood as “sea and sun.”
- Other sun adjacent names, like Sunshine and Sundance, are occasionally heard.
We’ve loved choices like Summer, Kai, Saylor, and more variations on the summery, coastal theme for most of the 21st century – if not longer.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME SOLANA?
What do the numbers tell us about the baby name Solana?
It debuted in the US popularity data way back in 1976 with nine births. It started to rise in the year 2000, and gained steadily. But Solana never quite caught on.
Instead, it took SZA’s success in 2017 to push the name into wider use. By 2018, as she received her first Grammy nominations, the baby name Solana was given to 117 girls.
The name debuted in 2023 at #993, representing 285 births.
Solana soared to #691 as of 2024, with 409 baby girls receiving the name.
Masculine form Solano deubted in US popularity data in 2024, with eight births.
WARMTH AND VITALITY
It’s easy to imagine the baby name Solana appealing to parents today. It sounds like a traditional choice for a daughter, not so different from Sophia or Anna, a logical successor to Sienna and Eliana.
Solana is elegant, but warm; restrained and energetic. It’s a Spanish-English crossover at least as accessible as Isabella, but far less expected – at least for now.
What do you think of the baby name Solana?
