| Sana | Malak | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Radiance, brilliance, splendor | Angel |
| Origin | arabic | Arabic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | sah-NAH | MAL-ak |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1923 | 1983 |
| Peak year | 2022 (180) | 2011 (210) |
| In 2025 | 151 | 137 |
| Trend | Rising | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Sana | Malak |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 860 | 760 |
| 2010s | 1,222 | 1,706 |
| 2000s | 1,186 | 1,146 |
| 1990s | 888 | 255 |
| 1980s | 478 | 27 |
| 1970s | 142 | 0 |
| 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.
Malak means “angel” in Arabic.
Sana is more popular than Malak today: about 151 US babies were given the name Sana in 2025, compared with 137 named Malak.
Sana means Radiance, brilliance, splendor (arabic origin), while Malak means Angel (Arabic origin).
In US records, Sana first appears in 1923 and Malak in 1983, so Sana has the longer recorded history.