How to say it
a · LI · na
/əˈli.nə/
Feminine
Alina
Noble, light
What it means
Slavic and Germanic name from a contracted Adelina (Old Germanic adal 'noble' + the diminutive -ina). Alternate reading from Arabic 'noble' or Greek alein ('to wander'). Common across Eastern Europe (Russia, Poland, Romania) and the German-speaking world.
Alina has multiple roots that converged. The dominant reading takes it as a contracted form of Adelina, from the Old Germanic adal ('noble') with the Latin diminutive -ina, common across Eastern European Slavic, Polish, and Romanian usage. Arabic Alyna means 'noble.' The Greek alein meant 'to wander.' Alina Cojocaru the Romanian-British prima ballerina (born 1981, Royal Ballet) and Alina Kabaeva the Russian Olympic gymnast (born 1983) anchor the Eastern European cultural use. As a US given name Alina has been climbing since 2000, particularly in Russian, Polish, and Romanian American families. It entered the US top 300 in 2014. Common short: Lina or Ali.
Popularity over time
peaked at #130 in 2025, currently #130 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pronunciation
uh-LEE-nah, three syllables, stress on the second. Not AY-lina.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Alina Cojocaru Romanian-British ballerina, Royal Ballet principal
Spelling variants
- Aleena
- Alyna
- Aleena
Names with the same feeling
See Alina from another angle
By meaning