| Eliana | Josephine | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | my God has answered | God shall add |
| Origin | hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | el-ee-AH-nah | JOH-suh-feen |
| Syllables | 4 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1961 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2025 (8,191) | 1918 (8,682) |
| In 2025 | 8,191 | 4,126 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Eliana | Josephine |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 33,359 | 20,976 |
| 2010s | 28,233 | 23,960 |
| 2000s | 10,715 | 13,924 |
| 1990s | 2,368 | 7,059 |
| 1980s | 1,208 | 4,732 |
| 1970s | 150 | 5,154 |
| 1960s | 71 | 9,317 |
| 1950s | 0 | 16,412 |
| 1940s | 0 | 24,324 |
| 1930s | 0 | 36,051 |
| 1920s | 0 | 69,223 |
| 1910s | 0 | 61,355 |
| 1900s | 0 | 18,785 |
| 1890s | 0 | 12,463 |
| 1880s | 0 | 7,732 |
Hebrew reading parses it as El 'God' + anah 'he has answered' + a first-person yod, 'my God has answered' (per Kolatch and Alcalay). A wholly separate Latin origin also exists (Aeliana, feminine of the gens name Aelius, ultimately linked to Greek helios 'sun'); the Hebrew sense is the one carried here.
The feminine of Joseph, from the Hebrew, “God shall add.” Borne by Napoleon’s empress.
Eliana is more popular than Josephine today: about 8,191 US babies were given the name Eliana in 2025, compared with 4,126 named Josephine.
Eliana means my God has answered (hebrew origin), while Josephine means God shall add (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Eliana first appears in 1961 and Josephine in 1880, so Josephine has the longer recorded history.