Dana
GenderUnisex
Origin
Word/nameMultiple
MeaningPearl, wise, arbiter, God is my judge, generous, short for Bogdana, Yordana or Daniela
Region of originGlobal
Other names
Related namesDena

Dana is a unisex given name. It was among the 100 most popular names given to girls born in the United States between 1960 and 1990. It has since fallen in popularity and was ranked the 446th most popular name given to girls born in the United States in 2007.[1] As a male forename it is well known in the United States, being in the 314th rank out of 1,219 in the 1990 U.S. Census.

The name has multiple derivations. Dana or Danah, in Arabic, means "the most perfectly sized, valuable and beautiful pearl".[2] This name is used mainly by Arab states of the Persian Gulf (Eastern Arabia), due to their traditional pearl diving professions wherein they gave different type of pearls names. In Persian, the word Dānā literally means "Wise", and some speculate that the name is first used as a first name in Shahnameh.[3] It may also refer to the mountain Dana or Dena. The name is used in Persian for both female and male sexes. It may also come from "Dane" (from Denmark), the meaning of the common surname. It is also occasionally regarded as a feminine version of Daniel or a short version of feminine names such as Bogdana or Yordana. In Hebrew, the name Dana means "arbiter" or "God is my judge". In Romanian and Czech, it is a feminine name, derived from the name Daniela; the masculine form being Dan/Daniel. In Sanskrit and Pali, the word means "generosity". The Sanskrit word was then used as a loanword in the Malay language and retranslated to "fund" or "alms". As part of a nationwide campaign to assist Bruneian orphans financially, the Bruneian government in 1998 announced the name "Dana" as an official acronym for "Dana Pengiran Muda Mahkota Al-Muhtadee Billah bagi Anak-Anak Yatim" (Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah's Fund for Orphans, also known as DANA). The acronym given is used officially until today. The name Dana itself is used in Brunei, particularly after the 2000s.[4][5][6][7][8]

Pronunciation

The name Dana has multiple pronunciations around the world, therefore multiple regions may have different pronunciations.[9]

America: /ˈdeɪnə/ DAY-nuh

Europe and Arabic World: DA-nuh

People named Dana

Female

Male

Fiction

Mythology

See also

References

  1. ^ "Dana: Popularity for Dana in the United States". Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  2. ^ "دانة" [Danah] (in Arabic). WebTeb. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Abstractions". Persian Online. The University of Texas at Austin. 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Berita JPM - Tingkat pemedulian, kasih sayang terhadap..." Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Dana Pengiran Muda Mahkota Al-Muhtadee Billah ( Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei) - Contact Phone, Address". www.bruneiyp.com. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Welcome To Brunei YP". www.yp.com.bn. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Berita - SMS Brunei Prihatin bagi DANA dilancar". www.pelitabrunei.gov.bn. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Dana Brunei Brunei - List of Brunei Dana Brunei companies". www.bruneiyp.com. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  9. ^ فـورڤو, فريق عمل. "نٌطق Dana : كيف تنطق Dana فى الرومانية, الإنجليزية, البولندية, الألمانية, السلوفاكية, التركية القديمة, السلوفانية, الجاوية, المجرية, الأيرلندية, الأذربيجانية, الإندونيسية, التشيكية, التركية, السبرانتوية". Forvo.com. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
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