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Rihanna

ree-AN-ah; rie-HA-nah
Arabic
"sweet basil"
Madison Dresler
By Madison Dresler
Updated Tue Jul 01 2025

Rihanna Origin and Meaning

The name Rihanna is a girl's name meaning "sweet basil".

Many will associate Rihanna with the Barbados-born singer, known mononymously by her middle name. During her early years of fame, when "Umbrella" was on the radio and "Take a Bow" was playing through the iPod Shuffle, the name shot up the charts in the US, UK, France, and Puerto Rico. Though the name did fall out of the charts as rapidly as it entered and while some parents might feel it is way too tied to the mid-2000s, Rihanna was given to 165 babies in 2023.

Rihanna isn't simply a music-inspired choice, however; it's an Arabic name, deriving from Rayhana, meaning "basil". Like Aaliyah and Leila, it is used cross-culturally, with several spelling variations cropping up, including Rihana, Rianna, Reanna, and Rhianna - though they may also be boosted up by their similarity to Welsh Rhiannon.

With its nature-inspired meaning and its sweet but strong sound, Rihanna could easily work on a baby born today.

# 955 in the US

Rihanna Rank in US Top 1000

Popularity of the name Rihanna

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Famous People Named Rihanna

  • (Robyn) Rihanna (Fenty)
    Barbadian singer,songwriter and actress

The name Rihanna in Nameberry Blog Posts