Alaina
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Meaning
variant of Alana, probably influenced by Elaine; inherited meaning uncertain
Goes by Lainey. See all nicknames
The story
Alaina is a modern variant of Alana, probably shaped in part by Elaine. Through Alana it belongs to the family of Alan, whose original meaning remains uncertain.
The older Alan was used in Brittany by the sixth century, and Breton settlers brought it to England after the Norman Conquest. Those dates belong to Alan, not to the later form Alaina.
Elaine, the probable influence, is an Old French form of Helen. Even Helen’s familiar "torch" interpretation is uncertain, so it cannot provide a definite meaning for Alaina.
Alaina has several generations of American use of its own. Published records include girls with this spelling in the 1940s, followed by much larger numbers in later decades, especially the 2010s.
How popular is Alaina around the world?
In the United States, 8,598 babies were named Alaina between 2020 and 2025.
Alaina is on the official records of the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Ireland, England and Wales, Scotland, South Australia, Argentina, Mexico City, Spain and Brazil.
United States
1 in 2,500
In the United States, 8,598 babies were named Alaina between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Alaina peaked in the 2010s.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Puerto Rico
1 in 3,600
In Puerto Rico, 5 babies were named Alaina in 2025, and 105 have carried the name since 1998.
share of that year’s births on record
First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)
Canada
1 in 5,000
In Canada, 73 girls named Alaina were born in 2024, the 407th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Ireland
1 in 11,000
In Ireland, 5 girls named Alaina were born in 2025, the 608th most common name among girls that year.
The count never rose above 8 in a year, too few to chart.
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
England and Wales
1 in 12,000
In England and Wales, 49 girls named Alaina were born in 2025, the 747th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Scotland
1 in 15,000
In Scotland, 3 girls named Alaina were registered in 2024, the 790th most common name among girls that year.
The count never rose above 8 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
South Australia
1 in 18,0002017
In South Australia, 1 girl was registered as Alaina in 2017.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Argentina
1 in 55,000
In Argentina, 12 newborns were given the name Alaina in 2024.
share of that year’s name registrations
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Mexico City City
1 in 120,000
In Mexico City, there was 1 registration of Alaina in 2022.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Spain
1 in 770,000
In Spain, 58 residents are named Alaina, ranked 12,111th among women, with a mean age of 13.8 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Brazil
1 in 1M
At the 2022 census, 278 people in Brazil were named Alaina, ranked 20,117th, with a median age of 28.
Among people named Alaina living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Austria
last on record 2018
Alaina is not on the 2025 record for Austria, which publishes every first name down to a single birth, so the name was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Montevideo City
last on record 2005
Alaina is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
New Zealand
last on record 2022
Alaina is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Not on the record in Poland: that registry withholds small counts, so rare uses may sit below its floor.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Alaina
Most people given the name Alaina in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
Names like Alaina · Names that go with Alaina · Nicknames for Alaina
The Alaina deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Alaina truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Alaina fits with your family’s names and surname.
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