Alayna is a modern American spelling of Alaina or Elaina, forms that go back through the Old French Elaine to the Greek Helen, and so it is usually read as "torch" or "shining light". The spelling with a y became popular in the 2000s alongside Alaina and Elena. In the United States Alayna peaked at number 201 in 2012, has slipped gradually since and ranks number 332 in 2025.