| Iman | Sana | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Faith, belief | Radiance, brilliance, splendor |
| Origin | arabic | arabic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ee-MAHN | sah-NAH |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1975 | 1923 |
| Peak year | 1996 (178) | 2022 (180) |
| In 2025 | 91 | 151 |
| Trend | Declining | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Iman | Sana |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 561 | 860 |
| 2010s | 1,040 | 1,222 |
| 2000s | 1,555 | 1,186 |
| 1990s | 1,395 | 888 |
| 1980s | 481 | 478 |
| 1970s | 92 | 142 |
| 1960s | 0 | 43 |
| 1950s | 0 | 39 |
| 1940s | 0 | 5 |
| 1920s | 0 | 10 |
Iman (إيمان, iman) means 'faith, belief' (in God) and comes from the root '-m-n, which also carries ideas of security and trust. It is used for both girls and boys and is a central concept in Islam.
Sana (سناء, sana') derives from the root s-n-w/s-n-y and means 'radiance, brilliance, splendour'. It should be distinguished from the unrelated Arabic word sana ('year') and from Sana'a, the Yemeni capital.
Sana is more popular than Iman today: about 151 US babies were given the name Sana in 2025, compared with 91 named Iman.
Iman means Faith, belief (arabic origin), while Sana means Radiance, brilliance, splendor (arabic origin).
In US records, Iman first appears in 1975 and Sana in 1923, so Sana has the longer recorded history.