| Sana | Iman | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Radiance, brilliance, splendor | Faith, belief |
| Origin | arabic | arabic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | sah-NAH | ee-MAHN |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1923 | 1975 |
| Peak year | 2022 (180) | 1996 (178) |
| In 2025 | 151 | 91 |
| Trend | Rising | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Sana | Iman |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 860 | 561 |
| 2010s | 1,222 | 1,040 |
| 2000s | 1,186 | 1,555 |
| 1990s | 888 | 1,395 |
| 1980s | 478 | 481 |
| 1970s | 142 | 92 |
| 1960s | 43 | 0 |
| 1950s | 39 | 0 |
| 1940s | 5 | 0 |
| 1920s | 10 | 0 |
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.
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 is more popular than Iman today: about 151 US babies were given the name Sana in 2025, compared with 91 named Iman.
Sana means Radiance, brilliance, splendor (arabic origin), while Iman means Faith, belief (arabic origin).
In US records, Sana first appears in 1923 and Iman in 1975, so Sana has the longer recorded history.