Illiana
Of Spanish origin, meaning "she who is from Illian".
Name Census estimates that about 1,985 living Americans carry the first name Illiana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Illiana today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Illiana births was 2011 (89 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Illiana. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Illiana with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Illiana 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
2.0K
~ 1 in 172,672 Americans
Peak year
2011
89 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,309
Tracked since 1956
Census
Illiana in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,594 people with the first name Illiana, which placed it at #8,924 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#8,924
National first-name rank
People counted
1.6K
1,594 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
72.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Illiana
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Illiana is Hispanic at 72.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Illiana described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Illiana at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino72.8% · 1,160
- White15.7% · 250
- Two or more races4.5% · 72
- Black or African American4.5% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 18
Popularity
Illiana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Illiana from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 693 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Illiana remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Illiana 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 Illiana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Illianas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Illiana, while Oregon, Massachusetts, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 94 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Illiana
The name Illiana is believed to have its origins in the Slavic languages, particularly Russian and Ukrainian. It is a feminine form of the male name Ilya, which is derived from the Hebrew name Eliyahu, meaning "my God is Yahweh."
In the Russian Orthodox tradition, Ilya was the name given to the biblical prophet Elijah, who plays a significant role in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The name Illiana, therefore, carries a religious connotation and is associated with the idea of divine protection and guidance.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Illiana can be traced back to the 19th century in Russia and Ukraine. It gained popularity in these regions during this time, particularly among families with strong religious beliefs or ties to the Orthodox Church.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Illiana was Illiana Ivanovna Kazankina (1872-1942), a Russian writer and poet who was known for her works exploring themes of love, nature, and spirituality. She published several collections of poetry and was celebrated for her lyrical style and vivid imagery.
Another notable bearer of the name was Illiana Mikhailovna Platonova (1895-1976), a Russian ballerina who performed with the Bolshoi Ballet in the early 20th century. She was renowned for her technical precision and graceful movements, and she helped to establish the Bolshoi as one of the world's premier ballet companies.
In the field of science, Illiana Vasilievna Sokolova (1901-1985) was a prominent Russian physicist who made significant contributions to the study of nuclear physics and cosmic rays. She was among the first women to be elected to the prestigious Soviet Academy of Sciences.
Beyond Russia and Ukraine, the name Illiana has also been adopted in other Slavic countries, such as Belarus and Serbia. In these regions, it has maintained its association with religious and cultural traditions, while also gaining popularity as a unique and melodic name choice.
One notable Serbian bearer of the name was Illiana Nikolić (1917-2002), a celebrated actress who appeared in numerous films and television productions throughout her career. She was revered for her ability to portray complex and emotionally nuanced characters.
Despite its Slavic origins, the name Illiana has also found its way into other cultures and languages, particularly in regions with strong ties to Eastern European traditions. However, its historical roots and cultural significance remain firmly grounded in the Slavic world, where it has been cherished for generations as a name that evokes divine protection, grace, and beauty.
People
Illiana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Illiana as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Illiana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Illiana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,985 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Illiana 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 172,672 US residents.
Is Illiana a common name?
We classify Illiana as "Rare". It ranks above 93.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,021 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Illiana most popular?
The single biggest year for Illiana was 2011, when 89 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Illiana is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Illiana in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,594 people with the name Illiana, or 0.53 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,924 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Illiana in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Illiana?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Illiana appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,591 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Illiana?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Illiana is Hispanic at 72.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Illiana most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Illiana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.8% (1,160 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Illiana in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Illiana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Illiana 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.
Is Illiana still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Illiana in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Illiana can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have Illiana as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.