Girl · Arabic · Muslim

Sana

ثناء

Say it sa-NAA

Meaning today: Brilliance, radiance
Original meaning: "praise, eulogy, commendation" Lane, p. 358
Say it: sa-NAA
Written: ثناء
Other spellings: Sanaa, Thana

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Sana

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Sana meaning

Sana (ثناء) is a Muslim girl's name of Arabic origin.

Praise, eulogy, commendation

Also used to mean: brilliance, radiance

Sana is two Arabic words that sound alike in Urdu. Written ثناء or ثنا, it is thanāʾ, which Lane's Lexicon glosses as praise, eulogy or commendation, used far more often in a good sense; this is the spelling most families use. Written سنا, it is sanā, "brightness" or "a flash of light", the word used in Quran 24:43 for the flash of lightning that almost takes away the sight. Name lists usually give "brilliance" or "radiance", which follows the second word, and sometimes "praise", which follows the first. Both are genuine meanings, so the spelling a family chooses decides which one the name carries. A well-known bearer is Sana Mir, former captain of Pakistan's women's cricket team and an ICC Hall of Fame inductee (2025).

Source: Lane, An Arabic–English Lexicon, Book I, Part 1 (1863), p. 358 · entry ثناء (root ثنى) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Lane, Arabic–English Lexicon, Book I Part 1, thanāʾ, p. 358 · Quran 24:43 · ICC Hall of Fame, Sana Mir