The first name Moana
A girl’s name meaning “sea”, “ocean”.
Pronounced /məʊˈɑːnə/ 2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Moana means “sea”, “ocean”.
From Hawaiian Moana (“sea, ocean”), Māori moana, and other Polynesian languages.
More names that mean sea.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 7 girls were named Moana, making it the 3,333rd most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2018, with 11 births (#2,340).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Moana with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Moana at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 35 girls born in the United States were named Moana, the 4,141st most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 2017, when 141 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Famous people named Moana
1 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Moana Moo-CailleFrench racing cyclist, born 1988
Questions
- What does the name Moana mean?
- Moana means “sea”, “ocean”.
- How popular is the name Moana?
- In 2025, 7 girls born in England and Wales were named Moana, ranking 3,333rd. Its peak was 2018, with 11 births.
- Is Moana a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 1,146 US babies named Moana since 1880 were girls.
- When was Moana most popular?
- 2017 in the United States, when 141 babies were named Moana, its highest rank at 1,559th.
- How do you pronounce Moana?
- Moana is /məʊˈɑːnə/, 2 syllables.