Nana
Masculine · “Grandparent”
Nana is given to both — 866 boys and 2,530 girls since 1880. See Nana as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Nana is an Akan title and one of the most widely used names in Ghana. It means an ancestor, a grandparent, and by extension a chief — the word for a ruler and the word for a grandmother are the same, which tells you how Akan authority is understood.
How old is the name Nana?
Nana first appears in US birth records in 1972 — 53 years ago. The typical Nana alive today was born around 2005, making them about 20 years old. About 800 people named Nana are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Nana most popular?
Nana peaked in 2003, reaching #3044 nationally. Today it ranks #5608, 2,564 places below that high. See the whole 2003 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From nana to Nana
The story of Nana
In Akan usage Nana is prefixed to the name of every traditional ruler — Nana Osei Tutu, Nana Akufo-Addo — and the same word is what a child calls a grandparent, which reflects a system in which authority rests on seniority and descent. As a personal name it is very common in Ghana for both sexes and among the Ghanaian diaspora. American records show it from the 1980s with Ghanaian immigration and a peak in 2003, and the name is separately used in Georgia, Japan and Greece with entirely unrelated sources.
Meaning
Grandparent, ancestor, chief
From Akan nana, a grandparent or ancestor, used as a title of respect for chiefs and elders and prefixed to the names of Ghanaian traditional rulers. The reading is settled. It is used for both sexes and as both a title and a personal name. English nana, a grandmother, is a separate nursery word and is not connected.
How the name formed
- nana
- Nana
Related forms: Nana · Nana · ნანა · なな
Pronouncing Nana
NAH-nah
Two syllables, both open, stress on the first. Akan is tonal and the tones are part of the word; English reproduces neither.
Nicknames for Nana
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1972
- Most boys named
- 201432 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3044reached in 2003
- Change vs 2024
- +33.3%16 in 2025, from 12
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Nana in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Nana in Akan — same name
- Nana in Twi — same name
- ნანა in Georgian — related form
- なな in Japanese — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York.
Nanas among us
people named Nana are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 106,755 born in 2025 was named Nana
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Hansen test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Nana's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Hansen climbed just as high around 1963, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Hansen's path sketches the road Nana is walking now.
Nana sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Nana beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Nana in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is settled and connects to a real system of authority.
- Four letters and two open syllables travel anywhere.
- Every sound in it exists in English.
- In English nana is a nursery word for a grandmother.
- It is used for both sexes in Ghana.
- Unrelated Nanas exist in Georgian, Japanese and Greek naming.
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What they receive
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Nana
Masculine · #5608 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Nanas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Nana are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Nana in 2025?
- Nana ranks #5608 among US boy names in 2025, with 16 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Nana?
- About 1 in every 106,755 US boys born in 2025 was named Nana — 16 in all.
- Will my child share the name Nana with classmates?
- Nana will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Nana
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Rolland#5608 · Llewellyn#5608 · Arlie#5608 · Gerrit#5608 · Vinson#5608 · Georgie#5608 · Wally#5608 · Webb#5608
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Nana? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Nana and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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