Girl Names baby nameAriana

What does the name Ariana mean?

The meaning of the name “Ariana” is: “Very holy one; silvery”.

Additional information: The name Ariana has many possible origins as it is widely used around the world. Three of the most likely origins are Persian, Welsh, and Greek. In the Persian context, it is used as a feminine name that means "land of the Aryans". This land used to represent the major Eastern part of the Persian Empire in the ancient period. Ariana is also derived from the Greek phrase meaning “most holy”, referring to the daughter of King Minos in Greek Mythology. The Welsh meaning of the name Ariana comes from the word arian, meaning silver.

Today many different forms of the name Ariana are in common use with the two most popular being Arianna and Ariadne. Ariana and Arianna are sometimes used interchangeable. Variants of the name which are used around the world include Aryana, Ariadna, Ariane, Arianne, Ari, and Aria. Although Ari and Aria can be used as full names in some cases, they are also common short forms of the name Ariana.

Since 1980, the name Ariana has seen increasing popularity, with a huge jump in 2014 to being the 37th most popular female baby name in the US. In Portugal, it has been in the top 35 female baby names since 2011. The UK and Canada both favored the spelling Arianna rather than Ariana, placing it at #144 in the UK and #45 in Canada during 2014.

Famous people who share the name Ariana include pop singer Ariana Grande, actress and painter Ariana Richards, jazz singer Ariana Savalas, swimmer Ariana Kukors, Huffington Post writer and columnist Arianna Huffington and the Harry Potter character Ariana Dumbledore.