It can be found most frequently in the English-speaking countries, former Yugoslavia, and as a short form of several Russian names such as Svetlana.

Other possible origins include the Irish Gaelic ailin, meaning 'little rock'.

The name's use in Irish probably derives from the phrase a leanbh, which was used to call a child.

[citation needed] In Hawaiian it means 'calm as still waters' or 'afloat'.

[2] In the English-speaking world, the name was popularized by actress Lana Turner and singer Lana Del Rey.