Falana
Uncommon feminine name of uncertain meaning, possibly derived from Arabic.
Name Census estimates that about 113 living Americans carry the first name Falana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Falana today is around 49 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Falana births was 1976 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Falana. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
113
~ 1 in 3,033,224 Americans
Peak year
1976
30 babies that year
Average age
49
years old
1986 SSA rank
#11,503
Tracked since 1970
Census
Falana in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 153 people with the first name Falana, which placed it at #44,840 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#44,840
National first-name rank
People counted
153
153 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
81.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Falana
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Falana is Black at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Falana described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Falana at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.0% · 124
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 10
- Two or more races5.2% · 8
- White3.9% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 2
Popularity
Falana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Falana from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 106 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Falana by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Falana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Falana
The given name Falana has its origins in the Arabic language, tracing back to the 7th century. It is derived from the Arabic word "falana," meaning "a certain woman" or "so-and-so." This word was commonly used as a placeholder or a generic term to refer to an unnamed or unspecified woman.
In early Islamic texts and historical records, the term "falana" was often used when mentioning a woman without revealing her actual name. This practice was employed to protect the privacy and anonymity of the individuals involved. Over time, it gradually evolved into a given name in its own right.
One of the earliest recorded instances of Falana as a personal name can be found in the writings of renowned Arab scholars and historians from the 8th and 9th centuries. These scholars often referred to specific women using the name Falana when recounting historical events or narrating stories.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Falana. One prominent figure was Falana al-Qurashiyya (born around 670 CE), a respected scholar and poet from the Arab region of Hejaz. She was renowned for her contributions to Arabic literature and her expertise in the field of genealogy.
Another distinguished woman named Falana was Falana bint al-Hasan (born in 837 CE), a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist from Basra, Iraq. She was celebrated for her extensive knowledge of Islamic law and her teachings, which attracted students from far and wide.
In the 11th century, Falana al-Gharnati (born in 1035 CE) was a prominent Andalusian poet and writer from the city of Granada, Spain. Her poetic works were widely admired and celebrated for their depth and eloquence.
During the Mamluk period in Egypt, Falana al-Sayfi (born in 1290 CE) was a notable woman from Cairo who gained recognition for her philanthropic endeavors and her support for educational institutions.
In the 16th century, Falana al-Dimashqiyya (born in 1520 CE) was a distinguished calligrapher and artist from Damascus, Syria. Her intricate calligraphic works and illuminated manuscripts were highly regarded and sought after by art collectors of the time.
While the name Falana has its origins in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has transcended geographical boundaries and has been adopted by various communities around the world, each adding their own unique cultural interpretations and associations to the name.
People
Falana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Falana as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Falana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Falana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 113 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Falana going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,033,224 US residents.
Is Falana a common name?
We classify Falana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 124 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Falana most popular?
The single biggest year for Falana was 1976, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Falana is about 49 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Falana in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 153 people with the name Falana, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #44,840 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Falana in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Falana?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Falana appears almost entirely female. Of the 155 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Falana?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Falana is Black at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Falana most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Falana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (124 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Falana in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Falana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Falana in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Falana still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Falana in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Falana can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Falana?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Falana on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.