Unisex name · since 1881

Nana

2,530 babies named Nana in U.S. Social Security records since 1881, with the highest year being 2000. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#4,020 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#6,843 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
2,530
born since 1881
2000s
peak decade

Yes -- Nana is the #6843 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 2,530 recorded since 1881.

Nana has 2,530 recorded births among girls since 1881, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #6843 as of the latest data, more common than 60% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2025.

  • #4,020 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #6,843 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 2,530 born since 1881
  • 2000s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nana ranks #4,020 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,843 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 2,530 born since 1881, peaking in the 2000s.

#4,020 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#6,843 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
2,530
born since 1881
2000s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%60.4%
Nana vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Nana's 2,530 recorded births place it above 94.44% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

8 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

8 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.

How Nana compares

2,530 Top 20% higher than 80% of 17,297 names currently given to girls

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Nana's all-time total is 7x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Nana Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 2,530 376 567,345
Peak-year births 47 21 19,840

Nana's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Nana's full recorded timeline at 1955, 59% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 41% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1883, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2000 peak of 47 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Nana popularity over time - girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2000)
47
Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
01020304050 188119011921193919571975199320112025 16

Nana popularity over time - boys

866 total births recorded since 1972 (Nana as boys' name)

Unisex variant - 866 births
010203040 19721981199019972004201120182025 16

Nana by decade

2000s is the heaviest window (345 births, 14% of the file).

2000s was Nana's strongest decade.

345 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.

Nana births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2000s at 345 births (14% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Nana compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Nana's total volume

Nana vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15%20%25% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -31, 11.9%-36, 10.5%-43, 5.4%-32, 8.2%-60, 6.5%-136, 2%-89, 2.6%-35, 7.2%-52, 4.1%-64, 4%-138, 3%-35, 4.8%-22, 22.8%-102, 3.5%-132, 2.9%Nana-145, 1.9%Nana
Nana vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Nana by state

Where Nana concentrates geographically, total births since 1881

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Nana
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
242 9.6%
#2 California
69 2.7%
#3 Maryland
21 0.8%
#4 Virginia
13 0.5%
#5 Kentucky
11 0.4%
#6 Missouri
11 0.4%
#7 Texas
10 0.4%
#8 Illinois
5 0.2%
New York share of Nana's total US births 9.6%
Even split

242 of 2,530 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 8 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Nana? ▼
Nana has been given to 2,530 babies in the U.S. since 1881, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #4,020 of 72,339 among girls' names (total births, highest first). Among girls in 2025, it is #6,843 of 17,297. 47 babies were born in 2000, its single highest year.
Where does Nana sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nana ranks #4,020 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,843 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Nana most popular? ▼
Nana was most popular in the 2000s decade with 345 total births. The single peak year was 2000.
Where is Nana most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Nana are New York (242 births), California (69 births), Maryland (21 births).
Is Nana a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Nana is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 2,530 births, and as a boy's name it has 866 births.
How long has the name Nana been used? ▼
Nana has been recorded in Social Security data since 1881, spanning 145 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Nana? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nancy, Nannie, Nanette, Nan, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Nana's data

  • Nana's decade-level peak was the 2000s (345 total births); usage has since declined to 105 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • New York records the most Nanas (242 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Nana

Nearby Names Like Nana

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nana

Nancy Girl
#965 1,004,448 births
Nannie Girl
25,560 births
Nanette Girl
#13241 16,894 births
Nan Girl
10,274 births
Nanci Girl
6,474 births

Compare Nana side by side: Nana vs Nancy Nana vs Nannie Nana vs Nanette

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Nana

Dessa #6842
1,817 births · Peak 2001
Jonnie #6844
5,880 births · Peak 1947
Adda #6841
987 births · Peak 1888
Zita #6845
2,977 births · Peak 1922
Zelma #6840
16,824 births · Peak 1919
Jeannie #6846
36,115 births · Peak 1957
Blanche #6839
87,425 births · Peak 1917
Lorenza #6847
3,184 births · Peak 1920

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Nana: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1881–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Nana draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.