NameRealm
Sanaa

Sanaa: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“brilliance; radiance”
Origin
Arabic
Say it
sah-NAH · 2 syllables
Used for
Girls

From Arabic sana', meaning brightness, radiance, or splendor. It is also the name of the capital of Yemen when transliterated as Sana'a, but as a personal name it usually reflects the Arabic word.

Arabic namesNames meaning lightNames meaning beautyInternational names

How popular is Sanaa?

202423.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Sanaa in 202476

2024 rank#2,389 girls

Peak year2006

Total US babies since 18806,055

Sanaa is fading: recent use is about 44% of its level ten years before.

Names like Sanaa

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Laylanight · Arabic
  • Lylanight · Arabic
  • Aaliyahexalted, rising · Arabic
  • Amiraprincess; commander · Arabic
  • Lilahnight · Arabic
  • Lilanight · Arabic
  • Nylaattainer; successful · Arabic
  • Zarablooming flower · Arabic

Sanaa questions

What does the name Sanaa mean?

Sanaa means "brilliance; radiance". It comes from Arabic. From Arabic sana', meaning brightness, radiance, or splendor. It is also the name of the capital of Yemen when transliterated as Sana'a, but as a personal name it usually reflects the Arabic word.

Is Sanaa a boy or girl name?

Sanaa is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Sanaa?

76 US babies were named Sanaa in 2024. Its peak year was 2006.

How do you pronounce Sanaa?

Sanaa is usually pronounced sah-NAH.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.