Head to head · Girls' names
Imani vs Ivanna
#579 vs #566 in 2025 · both holding its place on the charts
Ivanna is a whisker ahead (#566 vs #579 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, Ivanna leads 4 measures of 6; Imani leads 2.
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
- 1950s: Imani —, Ivanna #5753 — Ivanna higher
- 1960s: Imani —, Ivanna #6348 — Ivanna higher
- 1970s: Imani #3095, Ivanna #8039 — Imani higher
- 1980s: Imani #2256, Ivanna #6386 — Imani higher
- 1990s: Imani #428, Ivanna #1845 — Imani higher
- 2000s: Imani #364, Ivanna #1407 — Imani higher
- 2010s: Imani #478, Ivanna #654 — Imani higher
- 2020s: Imani #523, Ivanna #582 — Imani higher
Imani stood higher in 6 of 8 decades; Imani has held the lead since the 1970s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Imani | Ivanna |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s | — | #5753 |
| 1960s | — | #6348 |
| 1970s | #3095 | #8039 |
| 1980s | #2256 | #6386 |
| 1990s | #428 | #1845 |
| 2000s | #364 | #1407 |
| 2010s | #478 | #654 |
| 2020s | #523 | #582 |
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
Imani
faith, belief
Swahili imani, borrowed from Arabic īmān 'faith', which comes from the root ʾ-m-n — the same root behind amin and, at a distance, amen.
īmān (Arabic) → imani (Swahili) → Imani
How it traveled
The word traveled with trade and Islam down the East African coast: Arabic īmān, 'faith', entered Swahili as imani and stayed there as everyday vocabulary. Kwanzaa, created in the United States in the 1960s, took its seven principles from Swahili and gave the last of them this name — Imani, faith, celebrated on the closing day.
Ivanna
God is gracious
The sense comes from the Hebrew name Yochanan, which lies behind John, Jane, Joan and every Ivan.
Yochanan → Ioannes → Ioann → Ivan → Ivanna
How it traveled
The root is Hebrew Yochanan, carried into Greek as Ioannes by the translators and writers of the early Christian era, and from there into Church Slavonic as Ioann. Slavic speech wore it down to Ivan, one of the most widely used men's names in Eastern Europe for centuries, and Ivanna is its feminine form — spelled with the double n in Ukrainian, with a single n as Ivana in Czech, Croatian, Serbian and Slovak.
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
Imani
ee-MAH-nee
Swahili puts the stress on the second syllable, which is how most American speakers say it too. Some say ih-MAH-nee with a lighter first vowel; both are widely heard.
- Mani — The most common informal clip, used within families and among friends.
- Immy — Informal, and shared with Imogen and Imelda; more common in English-speaking households than in Swahili-speaking ones.
- Iman — Sometimes used as a short form, though it stands fully on its own as a given name in Arabic.
- Imi — Casual written shortening, seen more in texts and notes than in speech.
Ivanna
ee-VAH-nah
That is the Slavic and Spanish pronunciation and the usual one. Some English speakers reach for ih-VAN-uh instead, rhyming the middle with 'van'; both are heard in the US, so it is worth deciding early which one your family uses.
- Iva — The most common short form, and a standalone given name in South Slavic countries.
- Ivy — An English-language shortening that doubles as a well-established name of its own.
- Vanna — Informal, taken from the second half; also stands alone in Italian usage.
- Ana — Widely used in Spanish-speaking families, and a full given name in its own right.
- Also Ivi, Nana.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Imani if you want…
- a name fewer children share#579 in 2025 — imani will almost certainly be the only one in school
- a name holding steadyImani is holding its place on the charts
Choose Ivanna if you want…
- a name most people already know#566 in 2025, 530 babies that year
- a name on the way upup 31 places on the charts in five years
- plenty of nickname options6 recorded short forms — Iva, Ivy and Vanna
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
Imani
Strengths
- Spelled the way it sounds, with no silent letters or double consonants to explain.
- Carries a plain, settled meaning — faith — that a child can learn and repeat without a dictionary.
- Recognized across Swahili and, in related form, Arabic and Persian, so it travels without becoming unreadable.
To consider
- Amani, a separate Swahili name meaning peace, is close enough in sound and spelling that the two get mixed up. Expect the occasional correction, and expect Emani and Imanni to show up on forms as well.
- The name is tied to Swahili and to Kwanzaa, where it names the principle of faith. Families outside those traditions may want to be comfortable saying where it comes from, since it is the first thing people who know the word will hear.
- In American records it is a girl's name, but Iman is a man's name in Iran, so international paperwork and introductions can occasionally take the wrong turn.
Ivanna
Strengths
- Shares a root with John, Jane, Joan and Juana, so the name has a long, unbroken documented line behind it.
- Reads correctly in both Spanish and Slavic languages without respelling — useful in a bilingual family.
- Several ready-made short forms, including Iva, Ivy and Ana, each of which also works as a name on its own.
To consider
- The single-n Ivana is the more familiar spelling to many Americans, so expect a lifetime of gentle corrections — and of forms coming back with one n.
- Pronunciation splits between ee-VAH-nah and ih-VAN-uh depending on who is reading it aloud. Neither is wrong, but she will be introducing herself often.
- Said quickly in English, the first two syllables can land close to 'I wanna'. Most people never notice; a few schoolyards will.
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 Imani and Ivanna 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 Imani and Ivanna?
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.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap
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 Imani and Ivanna each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Imani or Ivanna — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Imani or Ivanna?
- Ivanna, in 2025: Ivanna ranked #566 with 530 babies; Imani ranked #579 with 512 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Imani or Ivanna?
- Ivanna. Over the last five years Imani moved down 57 places; Ivanna moved up 31 places.
- Which is the older name, Imani or Ivanna?
- Imani entered the US charts in 1970; Ivanna entered the US charts in 1954. On the American record, Ivanna is the older name.
- How many people are named Imani and Ivanna?
- About 27,500 people named Imani are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 10,000 people named Ivanna are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Imanis or Ivannas in the classroom?
- Imani will almost certainly be the only one in school. Ivanna 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 Imani, Ivanna and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap