Alana

A beautiful and modern sounding name yet with an element of mystique and old age glamour to it.

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Some meanings are:
‘cherished’, 'beautiful', ‘darling child’, ‘harmony’, ‘serene’, ‘little rock’ (beautiful to look at and rare but also strong, tough and unbreakable like a precious gemstone or jewel)

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The name has multiple origins. It can be derived from the Old High German word for ‘precious’ or from the Irish language term “a leanbh” for ‘child’ or from the Goidelic/ Hawaiian community meaning ‘fair’, ‘beautiful offering’. In Gaelic ‘Alanna’ is the term for ‘beauty’ or ‘serenity’. Depending on the interpretation the name's roots can therefore be Old High German / Hawaiian / Irish / Gaelic.

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The Alana I know was named after a great-great-grandmother of Dutch and French heritage called ‘Anna’ (pronounced ‘Ana’ like one of the lead characters in the Frozen film).

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Characters with the given name: Alana (a royal mermaid princess in King Triton’s court), Alana Yarn (famous author in the Storybook Rainbow Magic Fairies series), Alana (protagonist main character from the ‘Alana Dancing Star’ series by Arlene Phillips), Alana of Trebond (fictional heroine in the Tortall novels), Alana (sporty, kind main character from the cartoon Dora the Explorer)

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Some people with the given name: Alana Blanchard (American surfer), Alana Curley (American dancer), Alanna Nash (journalist), Alanna Nobbs (historian), Alanna Schepartz (scientist), Alanna Kraus (Canadian skater), Alana Aoun (bridal & couture designer), Alana Spencer (British business woman & Apprentice Winner).

Also derived from Gaelic words ó leanbh "oh child" and álainn "beautiful".

My parents were Irish and dad often called both my mum and us children, Alana. We always understood it to be a term of endearment - 'my darling'.

I've never heard of the English name Alana. The Irish name, usually spelled 'Alannah', does not come from Alan or álainn, but from the common term of endearment 'a leanbh'. This literally means 'my baby' but is used to mean 'my dear' or 'my darling', usually to a younger person. It is pronounced 'a lan-uv' in some parts of Ireland, but in Ulster is pronounced (approximately) 'a lan-u' - which was shortened and probably anglicized to alannah. Many people still use it as an endearment, as in "don't worry, a leanbh (alannah), it will be alright". It's a bit like 'Macushla' - mo chúisle; Irish emigrants brought it overseas, and people liked the sound and meaning of it.

Please, stop saying Alana is an Irish name. And it burns my eyes every time I see the word "Gaelic" used to refer to the Irish language - in Ireland, we play Gaelic! Gaelic means Gaelic football, not Irish language. The proper Irish word for our language is Gaeilge, by the way.
Well, yes, usage of this name in Ireland has been inspired by "álainn" which means "beautiful" in Irish. However, that still doesn't make it an Irish name. Alana is simply an ENGLISH feminine form of a Alan, a Breton name, and its real meaning doesn't go beyond the meaning of Alan - "little rock" or "handsome".

Alana comes from the Irish A leanbh or A leanna which is how you call a child to you.

Whilst this name does have Irish origins, meaning 'attractive/peaceful', it is also a French variation of Helen, from the Hebrew, meaning 'tree' and also of Hawaiian origin, meaning 'offering' (feminine form of Alan).

Alana is an Irish/Celtic name, which means "fair maiden" or "beautiful maiden". (it's my name so I've researched it's meaning).

The name "Alana" originally is of the Irish origin and means "beautiful", "peaceful", and "serene".