Dianah
A feminine name of Greek origin derived from the goddess Diana.
Name Census estimates that about 352 living Americans carry the first name Dianah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Dianah today is around 57 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dianah births was 1958 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dianah. 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.
People living today
352
~ 1 in 973,734 Americans
Peak year
1958
23 babies that year
Average age
57
years old
2009 SSA rank
#15,769
Tracked since 1943
Popularity
Dianah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dianah from the 1940s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 121 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dianah 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 Dianah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dianah
The name Dianah is a variant spelling of the name Diana, which has its origins in the Latin language. It is derived from the Roman goddess Diana, who was the goddess of the hunt, the moon, and nature. The name can be traced back to ancient Roman mythology, where Diana was one of the most revered and widely worshipped deities.
In ancient times, the name Diana was associated with strength, independence, and the natural world. It was often given to girls born under a full moon or during a lunar eclipse, as it was believed that these auspicious events would bestow upon them the goddess's blessings and protection.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Diana can be found in the works of the Roman poet Ovid, who lived from 43 BC to 17 AD. In his epic poem "Metamorphoses," Ovid depicts Diana as a skilled huntress and a protector of virgins and childbirth.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Dianah or its variants. One of the most famous was Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997), who was widely admired for her humanitarian efforts and her advocacy for various causes. Her tragic death in a car accident in Paris sparked an outpouring of grief worldwide.
Another prominent figure was Diana Rigg (1938-2020), the British actress best known for her roles as Emma Peel in the 1960s TV series "The Avengers" and as Lady Olenna Tyrell in the HBO series "Game of Thrones."
In ancient Rome, Dianah was also the name of a Roman empress who lived in the 4th century AD. She was the wife of Emperor Constantine the Great and played a significant role in the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.
The name Dianah has also been associated with several literary figures, such as Diana of the Crossways, the titular character in a novel by George Meredith (1828-1909), and Diana Merrion, a character in the novel "The Magnificent Ambersons" by Booth Tarkington (1869-1946).
In the world of music, Dianah Bryant (1932-2021) was an American singer and songwriter who is best known for her hit song "Don't Be Cruel" in 1962. She was also a prominent figure in the Motown music scene of the 1960s.
People
Dianah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dianah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dianah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dianah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 352 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dianah 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 973,734 US residents.
Is Dianah a common name?
We classify Dianah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 449 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dianah most popular?
The single biggest year for Dianah was 1958, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dianah is about 57 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dianah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dianah 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.