Alanis
Greek name meaning "adorable, attractive".
Name Census estimates that about 3,277 living Americans carry the first name Alanis. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Alanis today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alanis births was 2013 (182 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alanis. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Alanis is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 17 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
3.3K
~ 1 in 104,594 Americans
Peak year
2013
182 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,063
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Alanis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alanis from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,148 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Alanis remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alanis by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Alanis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Alanis' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 22 states and territories. California, Florida, New York recorded the most babies named Alanis, while Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 91 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Alanis
The name Alanis is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the Greek word "alanos," meaning "wanderer" or "pilgrim." It dates back to ancient times, with roots in Greek mythology and culture.
Alanis was a relatively uncommon name in ancient Greece, but it gained popularity during the Byzantine era, particularly among the Greek Orthodox Christian community. The name was often associated with the concept of spiritual journey and pilgrimage, reflecting the religious and cultural traditions of the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alanis can be found in Byzantine chronicles from the 9th century, where it was mentioned as the name of a Greek noblewoman. However, the name's origins and usage likely predate this record.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Alanis. One of the most famous was Alanis, a Byzantine poet and scholar who lived in the 11th century. She was renowned for her literary works and her contributions to the preservation of Greek culture during a time of political turmoil.
Another notable figure was Alanis of Semydata, a Greek Orthodox saint from the 12th century who was known for her piety and charitable works. She is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and her name is celebrated on the liturgical calendar.
In the 16th century, Alanis Mavrogordatos was a prominent Greek Orthodox nun and abbess of the Monastery of Kykkos in Cyprus. She played a significant role in the preservation of the monastery's cultural and spiritual heritage.
Moving forward in history, Alanis Obolensky was a Russian-born writer and translator who lived in the 19th century. She was instrumental in introducing Russian literature to English-speaking audiences through her translations of works by authors such as Pushkin and Gogol.
Another notable bearer of the name was Alanis Zopounidis, a Greek painter and sculptor active in the early 20th century. Her work was heavily influenced by the artistic movements of the time, and she is remembered for her vibrant and expressive paintings.
While the name Alanis has its roots in ancient Greek culture, it has transcended its origins and has been adopted by various communities around the world, thanks to its distinct sound and meaning.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Alanis
People
Alanis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alanis as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Alanis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alanis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,277 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alanis going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 104,594 US residents.
Is Alanis a common name?
We classify Alanis as "Rare". It ranks above 95.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,321 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alanis most popular?
The single biggest year for Alanis was 2013, when 182 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alanis is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Alanis a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Alanis in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.