Meaning: Its source is danr, an Old Norse name meaning "From Denmark."

Origin: "danr."

Languages: This boy's name is used in English and Danish.

Popularity: The name Dana ranked 314th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name makes a strong showing in state popularity data of the 1980s, but makes few (if any) appearances on lists compiled after that period.

Narrative: This may have been a surname for those living close to the English River Dane.

Meaning: Its source is an Ancient Germanic expression meaning "From Denmark."

Languages: This girl's name is used in Hebrew, English, Polish and Czech.

Nickname For: Danielle

Alternative Spellings: Daina and Dayna

Variant Forms: Daine, Dane and Danna

Popularity: The name Dana ranked 330th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 179th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name first made its appearance on state popularity lists before 1993, but is becoming less commonly used. In some cases, it has fallen off the lists altogether.

Narrative: The source of its Northern and Central European form is a Germanic expression identifying the bearer as a native of Denmark.

The name also derived independently as a feminine form of the Hebrew-derived male names Dan (meaning ''Judge'') and Daniel (meaning ''God is my judge'').

In Arabic, it means ''black pearl.''