Shana is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Shana means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Shana across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Shana has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Shana is a girl name of Hebrew origin meaning “God is gracious, or beautiful”. A variant of Shauna, also linked to Yiddish sheyn meaning lovely.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 29,748 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 450 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 32 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 6 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 10 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Shana per year, United States (1937 to 2025). United States peaked in 1984 (1,569/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (42/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1998 (4/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1993 (4/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2005 (3/yr).
Shana has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1984, when it ranked #349 nationally (given to 1,569 babies that year).
Shawn · Shaun · Shane · Sheena · Shawna · Shanna · Shania · Shauna
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