Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2000

Nana

Gender Unisex · 74% girls Rank 2025 #7,045 Trend ↓ Falling 15%
Rank 2025
#7,045
among girls · ↑808 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
32
named Nana · +23% vs 2024
How common
1 in 100,454
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2000
70 babies
All-time total
3,396
#4,021 all-time among girls
First recorded
1881
in Social Security records

Nana popularity over time

3,396 babies have been named Nana since 1881, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 49 – 49 5 – #613
1890s 85 – 85 9 +73% #1,000
1900s 53 – 53 5 -38% #1,400
1910s 174 – 174 17 +228% #1,396
1920s 205 – 205 21 +18% #1,360
1930s 182 – 182 18 -11% #1,436
1940s 202 – 202 20 +11% #1,743
1950s 172 – 172 17 -15% #2,170
1960s 108 – 108 11 -37% #3,286
1970s 170 44 214 21 +98% #2,958
1980s 192 69 261 26 +22% #2,968
1990s 269 174 443 44 +70% #3,514
2000s 345 260 605 61 +37% #3,008
2010s 219 224 443 44 -27% #4,968
2020s (to 2025) 105 95 200 33 -25% #4,972

The story of Nana

Nana is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #7,045 in 2025 with 16 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1881, 3,396 American babies have been named Nana, about 74% girls and 26% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2000, when 70 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Nana stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Nana?

The median living Nana is about 26 years old; half are between 16 and 45. An estimated 2,600 people named Nana are alive in the United States today.

median 26 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Nana year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 16 #7,045 16 #5,773
2024 14 #7,853 12 #7,126
2023 22 #5,682 14 #6,420
2022 16 #7,198 18 #5,362
2021 11 #9,374 16 #5,707
2020 26 #4,972 19 #4,980
2019 11 #9,561 25 #4,194
2018 27 #4,968 23 #4,448
2017 25 #5,294 17 #5,446
2016 21 #6,129 27 #3,952
2015 22 #5,973 25 #4,145
2014 20 #6,376 32 #3,438
2013 22 #5,954 17 #5,324
2012 16 #7,700 19 #4,981
2011 28 #5,014 22 #4,458
2010 27 #5,207 17 #5,405
2009 26 #5,494 25 #4,131
2008 31 #4,846 22 #4,493
2007 33 #4,539 26 #3,971
2006 39 #3,904 31 #3,430
2005 26 #5,070 24 #3,902
2004 41 #3,604 29 #3,344
2003 27 #4,778 31 #3,088
2002 36 #3,705 21 #4,001
2001 39 #3,471 28 #3,200
2000 47 #3,008 23 #3,605
1995 29 #3,744 15 #4,208
1990 28 #3,787 12 #4,586
1985 13 #5,573 6 #6,275
1980 17 #4,456 6 #6,009
1975 16 #4,074 – –
1970 10 #5,298 – –
1965 7 #5,639 – –
1960 13 #3,635 – –
1955 17 #2,806 – –
1950 20 #2,230 – –
1945 9 #3,316 – –
1940 19 #1,879 – –
1935 27 #1,436 – –
1930 17 #2,088 – –
1925 14 #2,576 – –
1920 14 #2,552 – –
1915 20 #1,724 – –
1910 9 #1,725 – –
1905 6 #1,857 – –
1900 7 #1,687 – –
1895 11 #1,036 – –
1890 7 #1,168 – –
1885 5 #1,156 – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Nana

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Nana Patekar Nana Patekar Indian actor and filmmaker (born 1951) Contemporary
  2. 2 Nana Visitor Nana Visitor American actress (born 1957) Contemporary
  3. 3 Nana Mouskouri Nana Mouskouri Greek singer b. 1934 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Nana Komatsu Nana Komatsu Japanese actress and model (born 1996) Contemporary
  5. 5 Nana Akufo-Addo Nana Akufo-Addo Former President of Ghana b. 1944 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Nana Mizuki Nana Mizuki Japanese voice actress (born 1980) Contemporary
  7. 7 Nana Sahib Nana Sahib Peshwa pretender (1824–1859) 19th century
  8. 8 Nana Dzagnidze Nana Dzagnidze Georgian chess grandmaster (born 1987) Contemporary
  9. 9 Nana Kitade Nana Kitade Japanese singer-songwriter and musician (born 1987) Contemporary
  10. 10 Nana Alexandria Nana Alexandria Georgian chess player (born 1949) Contemporary
  11. 11 Nana Ioseliani Nana Ioseliani Georgian chess player (born 1962) Contemporary
  12. 12 Nana Jorjadze Nana Jorjadze Georgian film director and scriptwriter b. 1948 · Contemporary
  13. 13 Nana Akwasi Asare Nana Akwasi Asare Ghanaian footballer (born 1986) Contemporary
  14. 14 Nana Smith American tennis player b. 1971 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Nana Ichise Japanese footballer (born 1997) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Nana, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Nana?

The median living Nana is about 26 years old. Half of all living Nanas are between 16 and 45 years old.

How many people named Nana are alive today?

An estimated 2,600 people named Nana are alive in the United States, based on 3,396 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Nana in 2025?

Nana ranked #7,045 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 16 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Nana?

3,396 babies have been named Nana in the United States since 1881, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Nana most popular?

Nana peaked in 2000, when 70 newborns received the name.

Is Nana a boy or girl name?

Nana is used for both: about 74% of babies named Nana have been girls and 26% boys.

Is the name Nana rising or falling?

Nana has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Who are famous people named Nana?

Well-known people named Nana include Nana Patekar (actor), Nana Visitor (actor), Nana Mouskouri (singer).

Names like Nana

Names that sound and feel close to Nana: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Nana with similar names → More names starting with N →