Lana (given name)
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Gaelic (Irish/Scottish), Russian, Hawaiian |
| Meaning | Path (Scottish Gaelic); Precious Child (Irish/Scottish Gaelic, derived); Calm (Hawaiian) |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Svetlana, Alana |
Lana is a female given name and short name of multiple origins. It is found most frequently in the English-speaking countries, and as a short form of several names, including the Russian name Svetlana, the Gaelic name Alana, and other names ending with "-lana."[1]
The name is also related to the Scottish word Làna, meaning "path" in Scottish Gaelic.[2]
The name's use in Gaelic may also be connected to the Scottish and Irish Gaelic word leanabh (meaning "child" or "infant"). The endearing term a leanabh means "precious child".[3]
In the English-speaking world, the name gained popularity through the 20th-century actress Lana Turner.[4]
Notable people
Actors
- Lana Albeik (born 1995), Palestinian-Syrian model and actress
- Lana Barić (born 1979), Croatian actress
- Lana Clarkson (1962–2003), American actress and fashion model
- Lana Condor (born 1997), American actress
- Lana Golja, Australian actress
- Lana Marconi (1917–1990), Romanian-French actress, born Ecaterina Ileana Marcovici
- Lana Morris (1930–1998), English actress
- Lana Nodin (born 1979), Malaysian actress and model
- Lana Parrilla (born 1977), American actress
- Lana Rhoades (born 1996), American actress, podcaster, social-media personality
- Lana Turner (1921–1995), American actress, born Julia Jean Turner
- Lana Wachowski (born 1965), American director
- Lana Wood (born 1946), American actress best known for her role as 'Plenty O'Toole' in the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever
Politics
- Lana Gogoberidze (born 1928), Georgian politician and film director
- Lana Gordon (born 1950), American politician from Kansas
- Lana Greenfield (born 1951), American politician from South Dakota
- Lana Hurdle, American public official
- Lana Jalosjos, Filipino politician
- Lana Ladd Stokan (born 1958), American politician
- Lana Lokteff (born 1979), American political YouTuber
- Lana Mamkegh, Jordanian politician and journalist
- Lana Marks (born 1953), American business executive, diplomat and fashion designer
- Lana Myers, American judge from Texas
- Lana Nusseibeh, Emirati politician
- Lana Popham (born 1968), Canadian politician from British Columbia
- Lana Theis (born 1965), American politician from Michigan
Singers
- Lana Cantrell (born 1943), Australian-American singer and entertainment lawyer
- Lana Chapel, American singer-songwriter
- Lana Del Rey, real name Elizabeth Grant (born 1985), American singer
- Lana Gordon, American singer
- Lana Jurčević (born 1984), Croatian singer
- Lana Lane, American singer
- Lana Lo, American singer
- Lana Mir, Ukrainian singer-songwriter
- Lana Moorer (born 1970), American rapper, DJ, actress and entrepreneur
- Lana Trotovšek (born 1983), Slovenian violinist
- Lana Wolf (born 1975), Dutch singer
Sports
- Lana Bagen (born 1996), British figure skater
- Lana Clelland (born 1993), Scottish footballer
- Lana du Pont (born 1939), American equestrian
- Lana Feras (born 1998), Jordanian footballer
- Lana Franković (born 1991), Croatian handball player
- Lana Gehring (born 1990), American short track speed skater
- Lana Golob (born 1999), Slovenian footballer
- Lana Gorgadze (born 1997), Georgian footballer
- Lana Harch (born 1984), Australian soccer player
- Lana Jēkabsone (born 1974), Latvian hurdler
- Lana Lawless (born 1953), American professional golfer
- Lana Popadić (born 1983), Croatian tennis player
- Lana Pudar (born 2006), Bosnian-Herzegovinian swimmer
- Lana Skeledžija (born 1982), Croatian sport shooter
- Lana, real name Catherine Joy Perry (born 1985), American professional wrestler in WWE
Other fields
- Lana Abdel Rahman, Lebanese writer and journalist
- Lana Bastašić (born 1986), Serbian writer, novelist and translator
- Lana Citron (born 1969), Irish novelist, poet, short story writer, and screenwriter
- Lana Coc-Kroft (born 1967), New Zealand television and radio personality, and Miss Universe New Zealand 1988
- Lana Gay, Canadian radio personality and music journalist
- Lana Jones, Australian ballet dancer
- Lana Lopesi, New Zealand writer and critic
- Lana Montalbán, Argentine journalist, TV anchor, and producer
- Lana Obad (born 1988), winner of Miss Croatia 2010
Fictional characters
In film and television
- Lana, a prostitute in 1983 film Risky Business, played by Rebecca De Mornay
- Lana, a Trial Captain in both the video game and anime versions of Pokémon Sun and Moon
- Lana in Hyrule Warriors and Hyrule Warriors Legends
- Lana Crawford in Neighbours, played by Bridget Neval
- Lana Herman, Theo's dream girl in The Cosby Show
- Lana Isavia in the anime TV series Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross
- Lana Jacobs in Shortland Street, played by Brook Williams
- Lana Lamore, a film actress employed by Dr. Claw and the antagonist of "Movie Set", season 1, episode 12 of Inspector Gadget (1983)
- Lana Lang in DC Superman and the television series Smallville, played by Kristin Kreuk
- Lana Lazar in the Gone novel series
- Lana Loud in the animated TV series The Loud House
- Lana Kane in TV series Archer, played by Aisha Tyler
- Lana Shields, a character on Three's Company
- Lana Winters in American Horror Story: Asylum, played by Sarah Paulson
In literature
- Llana of Gathol, four-part series by Edgar Rice Burroughs
- Wild Energy. Lana, a 2006 Ukrainian fantasy novel
In music
- "Lana", sung by Roy Orbison
- "Lana", sung by The Beach Boys
In video games
- Lana Beniko, in Star Wars: The Old Republic
- Lana, in Pokémon Sun and Moon and Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
- Lana Skye, in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
See also
- Lana, chimpanzee used in language research
- Lana (disambiguation)
References
- ^ "Lana – Baby Name Meaning, Origin and Popularity". The Bump. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- ^ Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977). Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla (in Irish). An Gúm. p. 411.
- ^ "leanabh - Scottish Gaelic noun". Wiktionary.
- ^ Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Lana". Behind the Name.