Girl · #7,862 in 2026

Olanna

Half of a Yellow Sun is a 2006 novel by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Set in Nigeria in the 1960s, the story follows Ugwu, a teenage houseboy who has moved from his village to work in a university town; his master Odenigbo, a mathematics professor with revolutionary views; and Olanna, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy Nigerian man, with whom Odenigbo is in love.

Current Rank
#7,862
Peak Rank
#7,020 (2018)
Total Babies
176
5-Yr Trend
-6%
2012
First Year
2026
Last Year
2018
Peak Year
#7020
Peak Rank
176
Total Count
14
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Olanna

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Half of a Yellow Sun is a 2006 novel by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Set in Nigeria in the 1960s, the story follows Ugwu, a teenage houseboy who has moved from his village to work in a university town; his master Odenigbo, a mathematics professor with revolutionary views; and Olanna, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy Nigerian man, with whom Odenigbo is in love.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Origin & history
Half of a Yellow Sun is a reference to the symbol on the Biafran flag . Half of a Yellow Sun is the second novel of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ; her debut, Purple Hibiscus , was published in 2003. She wrote Half of a Yellow Sun in three years, taking the title from an emblem on the Biafran flag . In an afterword titled "The Story behind the Book", she noted: I grew up in the shadow of Biafra. It was as if the war had somehow divided the memories of my family. My parents have always wanted me to know, I think, that what matters is not what they went through but that they survived. I was concerned

The Story of Olanna

Olanna first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 2012, with 8 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2018, when 16 Olannas were born — ranking #7,095 that year. As of 2026, Olanna ranks #7,862 for baby girls with 13 births, gradually falling (-6%). In total, more than 176 Olannas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 2010s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

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Names that sound like Olanna

Phonetically similar names — useful when Olanna is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Olanna

What does the name Olanna mean?
Half of a Yellow Sun is a 2006 novel by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Set in Nigeria in the 1960s, the story follows Ugwu, a teenage houseboy who has moved from his village to work in a university town; his master Odenigbo, a mathematics professor with revolutionary views; and Olanna, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy Nigerian man, with whom Odenigbo is in love.
How popular is Olanna in 2026?
In 2026, Olanna ranks #7,862 among girls' names in the U.S., with 13 babies given the name that year.
When was Olanna most popular?
Olanna reached its peak popularity in 2018, ranking #7,020 that year with 16 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Olanna most popular?
Olanna has historically been most popular in Texas, California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Olanna.
Is Olanna a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Olanna is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Olanna?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Olanna include Khalil, Fendi, Kanna. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

👧
Khalil
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Fendi
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👧
Kanna
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👧
Asmara
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👧
Kesleigh
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👧
Katalena
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Jamoni
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Kairah
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About the name Olanna

Olanna is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2012 and has accumulated 176 births in the dataset. Olanna's peak popularity came in 2018 when it ranked #7,020. Use the chart and map above to compare Olanna's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.