Head to head · Girls' names
Alena vs Analia
#707 vs #711 in 2025 · both holding its place on the charts
Alena is a whisker ahead (#707 vs #711 in 2025) and both are holding its place on the charts. The records will not split these two — sound, story and your own last name will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Alena leads 4 measures of 6; Analia leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1890s: Alena #1296, Analia — — Alena higher
- 1900s: Alena #1702, Analia — — Alena higher
- 1910s: Alena #2016, Analia — — Alena higher
- 1920s: Alena #2185, Analia — — Alena higher
- 1930s: Alena #2536, Analia — — Alena higher
- 1940s: Alena #2942, Analia — — Alena higher
- 1950s: Alena #2648, Analia — — Alena higher
- 1960s: Alena #1798, Analia — — Alena higher
- 1970s: Alena #1307, Analia #6075 — Alena higher
- 1980s: Alena #1122, Analia #8130 — Alena higher
- 1990s: Alena #924, Analia #7235 — Alena higher
- 2000s: Alena #694, Analia #2886 — Alena higher
- 2010s: Alena #689, Analia #893 — Alena higher
- 2020s: Alena #745, Analia #674 — Analia higher
Alena stood higher in 13 of 14 decades; Analia took the 2020s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Alena | Analia |
|---|---|---|
| 1890s | #1296 | — |
| 1900s | #1702 | — |
| 1910s | #2016 | — |
| 1920s | #2185 | — |
| 1930s | #2536 | — |
| 1940s | #2942 | — |
| 1950s | #2648 | — |
| 1960s | #1798 | — |
| 1970s | #1307 | #6075 |
| 1980s | #1122 | #8130 |
| 1990s | #924 | #7235 |
| 2000s | #694 | #2886 |
| 2010s | #689 | #893 |
| 2020s | #745 | #674 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Alena
from Helen — a Greek name whose sense was never settled
Alena descends from Helena (and in some families from Magdalena, 'of Magdala', a village on the Sea of Galilee). The Helena line is clear; what Helenē itself meant in early Greek is not. The oldest serious readings link it to helenē, a word for a torch or basket, and to a root for shining or sunlight; neither has won. Greek naming of that era rarely left an explanation behind.
Helenē → Helena → Elena → Alena
How it traveled
Helenē belonged to Greek myth long before it belonged to churches, and Latin turned it into Helena, which the Roman world carried north and east. In the Slavic languages the initial H fell away and the vowels opened: Elena in the south, Alena in Czech and Slovak lands, Alyona in Russian and Belarusian speech, where it began as a familiar form of Yelena and then stood up on its own.
Analia
a blend of Ana (from Hebrew Hannah, "grace, favor") with a second element
The Ana half is settled: it descends from Hebrew Channah, "grace" or "favor", through Greek and Latin Anna. What follows it is read two ways — most often as Lía (the Spanish form of Leah), giving Ana + Lía; sometimes as a clipped ending borrowed from Amalia or Rosalía. Either way the compounding itself is the point, in the same tradition that produced Anabel and Anamaría.
Channah → Anna → Ana → Analía → Analia
How it traveled
Spanish naming has long built new names by fusing old ones, and Analía — usually written with an accent on the í — is one of those fusions, pairing Ana with Lía. It circulated widely in the Spanish-speaking Americas through the twentieth century, particularly around the Río de la Plata, where it became familiar enough to stand entirely on its own rather than read as a hyphenated pair.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Alena
uh-LAY-nuh
Two pronunciations circulate in the US and both are correct: uh-LAY-nuh follows English habits, while ah-LEH-nuh is the Czech, Slovak and Russian version, with the stress on a short middle vowel. Families usually pick one and hold to it.
- Lena — The most common short form across languages, and a fully established given name in its own right.
- Allie / Ally — The usual English-language clip, informal, shared with Allison and Alexandra.
- Alenka — The standard affectionate diminutive in Czech, Slovak and Slovene; used at home rather than on documents.
- Lenka — Czech and Slovak diminutive that also stands alone as an official given name there.
- Also Ali, Nena.
Analia
ah-nah-LEE-ah
That is the Spanish reading, with the stress on the third syllable — the accent in Analía marks exactly that. English speakers often shift it to uh-NAH-lee-uh, stressing the second syllable instead. Both are heard, and it is worth deciding early which one your family will use.
- Ana — The first half on its own; a complete given name in its own right across Spanish, Portuguese and English.
- Lía — The second half, also a standalone name in Spanish; often spelled Lia or Leah in English contexts.
- Ani — Informal, family-level shortening; used in both Spanish- and English-speaking households.
- Nalia — Informal clipping of the back of the name; less common than Ana or Lía.
- Also Annie.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Alena if you want…
- a name with fewer syllablesAlena is 3 syllables to Analia's 4
Choose Analia if you want…
- a name with more sound in itAnalia runs 4 syllables, Alena 3
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Alena
Strengths
- Spelled phonetically for English readers — six letters, no silent parts, and most people write it correctly on the second try.
- Carries ready-made short forms in real use, from Lena to Allie, so the child has choices without inventing any.
- Recognized across Czech, Slovak, Russian, Belarusian and German-speaking regions, and close enough to Elena and Helena to be understood almost anywhere.
To consider
- The pronunciation genuinely splits — uh-LAY-nuh and ah-LEH-nuh both belong to the name. Expect a lifetime of gentle correcting, or a decision to answer to either.
- It sits in a crowded neighborhood of near-twins: Alaina, Aleena, Alina, Elena, Elaina. Spoken aloud over the phone, it will often need to be spelled out.
- Because Lena and Allie are shared with several other names, the short form on its own will not always point back to Alena.
Analia
Strengths
- Two ready-made short forms, Ana and Lía, each of which is a full given name elsewhere — a formal version and a casual one without inventing anything.
- The spelling follows the sounds directly, so a reader who has never seen it can usually get close on a first attempt.
- Works in Spanish and English mouths alike, which matters in bilingual families and across borders.
To consider
- The accent is the recurring admin question: Analía is the fuller Spanish spelling, Analia the form American records handle without fuss. Choosing one and sticking to it saves years of small corrections.
- It sits close to Amalia, Analise, Analeigh and Amelia, so expect occasional mishearing and a spell-out over the phone.
- Stress placement genuinely varies between Spanish and English speakers, and a child may hear her name said two different ways in one day.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Alena and Analia in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Alena and Analia?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
Where Alena and Analia each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Alena or Analia — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Alena or Analia?
- Alena, in 2025: Alena ranked #707 with 398 babies; Analia ranked #711 with 394 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Alena or Analia?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Alena moved down 28 places; Analia moved down 36 places.
- Which is the older name, Alena or Analia?
- Alena entered the US charts in 1891; Analia entered the US charts in 1973. On the American record, Alena is the older name.
- How many people are named Alena and Analia?
- About 15,000 people named Alena are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 7,500 people named Analia are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Alenas or Analias in the classroom?
- Alena will almost certainly be the only one in school. Analia will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Alena, Analia and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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