Alannah: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Alannah is an Irish girl's name meaning “darling child.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- Darling child
- Gender
- Girl
- Also spelled
- Alanna, Alana
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 103 for girls (2025)
How do you pronounce Alannah?
Alannah is pronounced a-LAN-a. It has three syllables, with the stress on the second. Other spellings: Alanna and Alana.
What does Alannah mean?
Adding a to leanbh, the word for “child” in Irish, brings a sense of warmth – “O child” or “darling child.” A favored name in Ireland with all three spellings.
How popular is Alannah in Ireland?
In 2025, 46 baby girls in Ireland were named Alannah, which made it No. 103 that year. That's down from No. 77 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 2003, when 117 baby girls were named Alannah, No. 49 that year. The most babies got the name in 2008: 130. It first appears in the records in 1983, with 3 baby girls.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 46 | No. 103 |
| 2024 | 40 | No. 117 |
| 2023 | 40 | No. 118 |
| 2022 | 58 | No. 94 |
| 2021 | 56 | No. 98 |
| 2020 | 69 | No. 74 |
| 2019 | 87 | No. 66 |
| 2018 | 112 | No. 53 |
| 2017 | 110 | No. 57 |
| 2016 | 96 | No. 69 |
| 2015 | 83 | No. 77 |
| 2014 | 106 | No. 65 |
| 2013 | 120 | No. 61 |
| 2012 | 104 | No. 67 |
| 2011 | 122 | No. 62 |
| 2010 | 113 | No. 66 |
| 2009 | 123 | No. 58 |
| 2008 | 130 | No. 54 |
| 2007 | 117 | No. 61 |
| 2006 | 121 | No. 54 |
| 2005 | 123 | No. 51 |
| 2004 | 113 | No. 53 |
| 2003 | 117 | No. 49 |
| 2002 | 93 | No. 55 |
| 2001 | 96 | No. 52 |
| 2000 | 84 | No. 53 |
| 1999 | 58 | No. 79 |
| 1998 | 44 | No. 81 |
| 1997 | 61 | No. 85 |
| 1996 | 43 | No. 124 |
| 1995 | 12 | No. 272 |
| 1994 | 23 | No. 179 |
| 1993 | 14 | No. 254 |
| 1992 | 7 | No. 363 |
| 1991 | 10 | No. 300 |
| 1990 | 10 | No. 303 |
| 1989 | 3 | No. 503 |
| 1988 | 5 | No. 407 |
| 1987 | 3 | No. 488 |
| 1986 | 3 | No. 521 |
| 1985 | 3 | No. 519 |
| 1983 | 3 | No. 529 |
Alannah in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Alannah, letter by letter.
- AAilm, pine
- LLuis, rowan
- AAilm, pine
- NNion, ash
- NNion, ash
- AAilm, pine
- HUath, hawthorn
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Alannah
Questions about Alannah
- How do you pronounce Alannah?
- Alannah is pronounced a-LAN-a. Three syllables, stress on the second.
- What does Alannah mean?
- Alannah means “darling child.”
- Is Alannah a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Alannah is a girl's name.
- How popular is Alannah in Ireland?
- In 2025, Alannah was No. 103 for girls in Ireland, with 46 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 2003, at No. 49.