Dana or Danah, in Arabic, means 'the most perfectly sized, valuable and beautiful pearl'.
[2] This name is used mainly by Arab states of the Persian Gulf (Eastern Arabia), due to their traditional pearl diving professions wherein they gave different type of pearls names.
In Hebrew, the name Dana is the feminine form of Dan, and means 'arbiter' or 'God is my judge'.
The Sanskrit word was then used as a loanword in the Malay language and retranslated to 'fund' or 'alms'.
As part of a nationwide campaign to assist Bruneian orphans financially, the Bruneian government in 1998 announced the name Dana as an official acronym for Dana Pengiran Muda Mahkota Al-Muhtadee Billah bagi Anak-Anak Yatim (Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah's Fund for Orphans).