Ilyana
A feminine name of Russian origin meaning "the Lord is my God".
Name Census estimates that about 1,360 living Americans carry the first name Ilyana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ilyana today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ilyana births was 2012 (77 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ilyana. 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
- • Ilyana is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 13 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 252,025 Americans
Peak year
2012
77 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,407
Tracked since 1978
Popularity
Ilyana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ilyana from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 656 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ilyana remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ilyana 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 Ilyana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ilyanas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Ilyana, while North Carolina, Washington, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 44 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ilyana
The name Ilyana has its origins in the Slavic languages, particularly Russian and Ukrainian. It is a feminine form of the name Ilya, which is derived from the Greek name Elias, meaning "the Lord is my God." The name Ilyana emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 11th to 13th centuries, in regions that are now part of modern-day Russia and Ukraine.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ilyana can be found in the Laurentian Codex, a medieval Russian chronicle dating back to the 14th century. The chronicle mentions an Ilyana Ivanovna, who was the wife of a prominent Muscovite nobleman.
In the realm of religious history, the name Ilyana is associated with several saints and martyrs. One notable figure is Saint Ilyana of Cherson, who lived in the 5th century and was known for her dedication to helping the poor and needy. She is celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ilyana. One of the earliest examples is Ilyana Sinskaya (c. 1554-1600), a Russian noblewoman and lady-in-waiting to Tsarina Irina Godunova. Another prominent figure was Ilyana Kuragina (1766-1831), a Russian countess and a member of the Kuragine family, known for her literary salon in St. Petersburg.
In the 19th century, Ilyana Vasilchikova (1815-1889) was a Russian philanthropist and educator who founded several schools and orphanages in Moscow. Ilyana Blazhennaya (1891-1962), also known as the "Holy Fool of Omsk," was a Russian mystic and ascetic who gained a reputation for her prophetic abilities and kindness towards the poor.
Another notable figure is Ilyana Muromtseva (1914-2003), a Soviet and Russian mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of partial differential equations. She was elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in 1968.
These historical examples showcase the rich heritage and diverse backgrounds of individuals who have borne the name Ilyana over the centuries, spanning various fields and regions across Eastern Europe and Russia.
People
Ilyana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ilyana 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
Ilyana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ilyana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,360 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ilyana 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 252,025 US residents.
Is Ilyana a common name?
We classify Ilyana as "Rare". It ranks above 91.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,374 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ilyana most popular?
The single biggest year for Ilyana was 2012, when 77 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ilyana is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ilyana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ilyana 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.