Kanna
Meaningoften fragrant · Japanese
Kanna is a Japanese girl name often meaning “fragrant”. In Japan, parents often choose a name as much for the kanji characters behind it as for its sound, so the same name can carry several shades of meaning. A meaning like this gives a child something to grow into, and a good story to tell when someone asks about their name. It sounds soft and friendly, it's easy to spell and quick to call across a playground, and it pairs well with middle names of almost any length.
Did you know?
- GenerationKanna peaked in 2019, which makes it a Gen Alpha name. The typical Kanna you'd meet today is about 6 years old.
- Roll callIn a typical school of 500 kids, your Kanna would very likely be the only one. About 1 in 161,290 baby girls got the name in 2025.
- HistoryKanna first shows up in US birth records in 1991, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 34 years since.
US births per million girls, 1991–2025
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Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
About the name Kanna
Kanna is a girl name of Japanese origin meaning “often fragrant”. Its two syllables give it an easy rhythm, and the open vowel at the end makes it sound soft and warm. It's a fresh, modern name that only arrived in US birth records in recent decades. It's rarely heard today, so it stands out while still being a real, established name.
Origin:Japanese names
Other spellings of Kanna
More Japanese girl names
- Girl name: Naomi · pleasantness
- Girl name: Noa · movement
- Girl name: Reina · queen
- Girl name: Aya · sign, verse
- Girl name: Hana · one; flower in Japanese
- Girl name: Kiyomi · often pure beauty
- Girl name: Yuna · often gentle
- Unisex name: Akira · bright, clear
Questions about the name Kanna
What does the name Kanna mean?
Kanna means “often fragrant” and comes from Japanese. Other girl names with a similar meaning include Zainab (“possibly fragrant plant”), Zaynab (“fragrant plant”), Marwa (“fragrant plant”) and Zeinab (“fragrant plant”).
What is the origin of the name Kanna?
Kanna is Japanese in origin. Other Japanese names to consider are Naomi (“pleasantness”), Noa (“movement”), Reina (“queen”) and Aya (“sign, verse”).
Is Kanna a boy or girl name?
Kanna is a girl name. In 2025, 10 US girls were named Kanna.
How popular is the name Kanna?
Kanna ranked #9,457 for US girls in 2025, given to 10 babies. Its best year was 2019, when it reached #7,025. Over the last five years it has slipped 2,245 places.
What names are similar to Kanna?
If you like Kanna, you might also like Cana, Kana, Zainab, Zaynab and Marwa. Cana is another spelling of the same name.
What should I know before naming my baby Kanna?
Kanna is a Japanese girl name often meaning “fragrant”. In Japan, parents often choose a name as much for the kanji characters behind it as for its sound, so the same name can carry several shades of meaning. A meaning like this gives a child something to grow into, and a good story to tell when someone asks about their name. It sounds soft and friendly, it's easy to spell and quick to call across a playground, and it pairs well with middle names of almost any length. Say it out loud with your last name and any middle names you're considering, and check the initials it makes.