Alanna

Alanna is a fairly modern name with two strands. It is a feminine form of Alan, and a variant of Alana. It also looks and sounds like alanna, a word used in the English of Ireland when speaking fondly to a child. That word comes from the Irish a leanbh, “O child”, and it shows up in Irish writing in English from at least the nineteenth century.

Alanna first reached the CSO list in 1973. It rose through the 1990s and had its best rank in 2003, at number 66, with its biggest year in 2004, when 89 girls were named Alanna. It has eased back since, to 14 girls in 2025. The CSO counts Alanna, Alannah and Alana as separate names, so the sound is more common than any one spelling. In Northern Ireland it reached number 91 in 2007.