Ulana

A multicultural option with a familiar yet unusual sound, Ulana may appeal as an alternative to Alana, Una, and Luna, while still offering familiar nicknames Lana or Lani.

As a Kyrgyz name, it is a feminine form of Ulan, meaning "young boy", and could then be interpreted as meaning "young girl". Alternatively, it may relate to the Kyrgyz word ulantuu or the phrase ulanta ber meaning "continue", "carry on", or "go on". In this case, oo-LAHN-uh would be used as the pronunciation.

The name is also used across a number of Slavic countries, including Russia, the Ukraine, and Poland, possibly as a contracted form of Uliana or Ulyana, both variations of Juliana, meaning "sky father" or "youthful". Here, it would be pronounced uw-LAN-uh.

Another possibility is that Ulana has its roots in Hawaii, borrowed from either the name Ulani, meaning "heavenly", or from the Hawaiian words ulana meaning "woven fabric" or lana meaning "calm".

Two final theories are that it could be a variation of Helena ("shining torch") via Olena or Ulena, or borrowed from an Uzbek word meaning "together, connected".

Pronounced oo-LAH-nuh.

As of October 2026, Ulana ranked #7598 in US births in 1963 SSA, peaked at #5370 in 1958.