Dana
Meaning and origin
Wiktionary describes it as a unisex given name transferred from the surname, originally given in honor of Richard Henry Dana Jr. Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Dawnay, or else an altered form of Dan or Daniel.
Source: Wiktionary, English entry for Dana (CC BY-SA 4.0). This is the origin of the name in English; families in Sweden may have taken it from another language.
Popularity in Sweden
Among newborns, Dana has been falling over the last few years. Its best year between 1998 and 2022 was 2017. The figures are for this exact spelling; other spellings of the name are counted on their own.
Years with fewer than two babies (fewer than ten before 2004) show as zero in the chart and as – in the table.
Show the figures
| Year | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | – | – |
| 1999 | – | – |
| 2000 | – | – |
| 2001 | – | – |
| 2002 | 11 | – |
| 2003 | – | – |
| 2004 | 12 | 4 |
| 2005 | 5 | 3 |
| 2006 | 7 | 3 |
| 2007 | 14 | – |
| 2008 | 12 | 3 |
| 2009 | 11 | 3 |
| 2010 | 12 | – |
| 2011 | 11 | 5 |
| 2012 | 11 | 2 |
| 2013 | 7 | 2 |
| 2014 | 11 | – |
| 2015 | 15 | 2 |
| 2016 | 10 | 3 |
| 2017 | 16 | – |
| 2018 | 9 | – |
| 2019 | 12 | 2 |
| 2020 | 9 | – |
| 2021 | 9 | 2 |
| 2022 | 11 | 2 |
Everyone registered in Sweden on 31 December with this as the first name they use.
Show the figures
| Year | Women and girls | Men and boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 248 | 103 |
| 2000 | 261 | 130 |
| 2001 | 279 | 145 |
| 2002 | 294 | 153 |
| 2003 | 313 | 158 |
| 2004 | 328 | 163 |
| 2005 | 331 | 167 |
| 2006 | 342 | 184 |
| 2007 | 371 | 186 |
| 2008 | 387 | 193 |
| 2009 | 410 | 198 |
| 2010 | 424 | 204 |
| 2011 | 439 | 214 |
| 2012 | 463 | 213 |
| 2013 | 492 | 219 |
| 2014 | 526 | 214 |
| 2015 | 567 | 217 |
| 2016 | 629 | 226 |
| 2017 | 691 | 229 |
| 2018 | 728 | 230 |
| 2019 | 762 | 238 |
| 2020 | 783 | 234 |
Dana in a sentence
- Hej! Jag heter Dana.Hi! My name is Dana.
- Jag ska fika med Dana i eftermiddag.I'm having coffee with Dana this afternoon.
- Danas mamma är lärare.Dana's mum is a teacher.
Swedish shows possession with a plain -s and no apostrophe: Danas mamma is Dana's mum.
Related names and other spellings
More names
Questions about Dana
How do you pronounce Dana in Swedish?
Press Listen at the top of the page to hear Dana in your device's Swedish voice.
What does the name Dana mean?
Wiktionary describes it as a unisex given name transferred from the surname, originally given in honor of Richard Henry Dana Jr. Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Dawnay, or else an altered form of Dan or Daniel.
How popular is Dana in Sweden?
13 babies were named Dana in 2022. In 2020, 1,017 people in Sweden had Dana as the first name they go by. Among newborns the name has been falling lately and peaked in 2017 in the years SCB covers (1998–2022).
Popularity figures: Statistics Sweden (SCB), name statistics (BE0001) from the Statistical Database, released as open data under CC0. Each spelling is counted as its own name, as SCB does. SCB's open name statistics end with babies named in 2022 and the population on 31 December 2020; SCB stopped producing name statistics in 2024 and now points to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for newer figures.
Origins, IPA and recordings: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), via kaikki.org; recordings from Lingua Libre on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Lingolib is not affiliated with SCB or Wiktionary. Sources last checked 7 October 2026.