Many sources derive it from Hebrew, literally translated as "My God has answered."[1] It is composed of three Hebrew elements: EL, meaning GOD; ANA, meaning HE HAS ANSWERED; and the Yud, located after EL, indicating first person possession.[2] Biblical sources: "And he erected there an altar, and called it El- [God] elohe-Israel [El, the God of the Patriarch Israel]" (Genesis 33:20). "And Efron answered [anah] Abraham, saying unto him," (Genesis 23:14).[1]
It can also be derived from the Late Latin Aeliāna, the feminine form of the Latin family name Aeliānus (of the sun), which is derived from the Greek hēlios (sun).[3]
Moreover, it is related to the Greek name Helene, and would thus be one of the many forms derived from that Greek name, such as Elaine from Old French.
In the United States, Eliana first appeared on the charts in the 1990s, spurred by the momentum of popular names like Ella, and Anna. In recent years Eliana has become an even more popular name and has ranked among the top 50 names given to newborn American girls. It was the 41st most popular name in that country for girls in 2022.[4][5]
Popularity of the female name Eliana in the United States.
Year
Rank
2018
83
2017
88
2016
93
2015
102
2014
117
2013
125
2012
145
2011
155
2008
203
2007
251
2006
282
2005
302
2004
314
2003
346
2002
393
2001
493
2000
537
1999
624
1998
282
1997
282
Note: Rank 1 is the most popular, rank 2 is the next most popular, and so forth. Name data are from Social Security card applications for births that occurred in the United States.
^ ab[1]Archived 2011-07-11 at the Wayback Machine, ELIANA is from the Aramaic and Hebrew words, meaning MY GOD HAS ANSWERED (Kolatch, Alfred J. 1994. The New Name Dictionary - Modern English and Hebrew Names. Middle Village: Jonathan David. 110)
^[2]Archived 2011-07-11 at the Wayback Machine, ELIANAH is composed of three Hebrew elements. ELI, meaning GOD (Alcalay, R. The Complete Hebrew English Dictionary. Jerusalem: Massada. 90); ANAH, meaning ANSWERED (Alcalay, R. The Complete Hebrew English Dictionary. Jerusalem: Massada. 1925); and the Yud, located after EL, indicating first person possession.
^[3]Archived 2011-07-11 at the Wayback Machine, Norman, Teresa. A World of Baby Names. New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 2003. 460.
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