Llona
A girl's name of Welsh origin with 27 recorded U.S. births.
Meaning & Origin
Llona is a vintage name that peaked in the Baby Boom and has since faded from common use. For parents drawn to retro charm, that quiet history is part of the appeal.
The open, warm quality of its ending — a soft ending that crosses many language boundaries — keeps the name compact and easy to pair with longer middle names or surnames.
Llona is not in the current top 1,000 girl names nationally, making it an uncommon choice — though your state or community may differ.
Llona is a girl's baby name, likely a Welsh variant of Ilona or Iona. Ilona is the Hungarian form of Helen, from the Greek Helene, meaning "light" or "sun." Iona is a Scottish island name (from the Gaelic ì, meaning "island") sacred in Celtic Christianity — it was here that Saint Columba founded his famous monastery in 563 AD.
The double-L opening is distinctly Welsh, seen in place names like Llanfair and Llŷr — it gives Llona an authentically Celtic visual character. Whether its roots are the luminous Helen or the sacred island of Iona, Llona is a name with deep Celtic spiritual resonance and an unusual, beautiful look on paper.
EtymologyShow more
Though Llona dates back to 1940 in U.S. records, its etymological path is not always straightforward. Names that predate modern naming databases sometimes resist easy classification — they may have been oral traditions, regional family names, or adaptations that were never systematically recorded. The Welsh classification provides a starting point, but the full derivation likely involves more nuance than a single label can capture.
With only 27 recorded births, Llona has not been widely studied in naming literature — its story belongs primarily to the families who chose it.
At a Glance
Popularity Over Time
Llona has 4+ years of history in the U.S., first appearing in 1940.
Popularity by Decade
| Decade | Births | Avg Rank | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 7 | #4835 | ▼ |
| 1940s | 20 | #4452 | — |
The Story of Llona
A Baby Boomer name
Peaking in 1946, Llona is a timeless Baby Boomer name. Girls named Llona are most likely born between 1940 and 1953.
How rare is Llona?
With fewer than 500 recorded births, Llona is an exceptionally rare name — a one-of-a-kind choice.
The journey through the decades
First appeared in the records in 1940, peaked in the 1940s with 20 births that decade, and has gracefully settled into a quieter chapter.
Year-by-Year Data
View complete yearly data(4 years, 1940–1953)
| Year | Births | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 7 | #4835 |
| 1948 | 5 | #5671 |
| 1946 | 9 | #3549 |
| 1940 | 6 | #4136 |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration. Showing years with 5+ recorded births.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Llona a boy's or girl's name?
When was Llona most popular?
How popular is the name Llona?
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Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration, 1940–1953