Sultana
A name borrowed from the title for a female ruler or the wife of a sultan, ultimately from Arabic.
The #9,373 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 88,950 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Sultana is the feminine form of sultan, a title meaning a ruler or sovereign power. The word ultimately goes back to Arabic and was used in Persian and other languages as a courtly title. As a surname, it is generally understood as a transferred name from a title, and in some families it may reflect cultural or honorific usage rather than a literal occupational meaning.
History
The form is widely known in Muslim and South Asian naming traditions, especially in communities influenced by Arabic and Persian court vocabulary. In English-language records it can appear as a surname or as part of a personal name, sometimes reflecting family connection to a title, prestige name, or inherited naming custom. The excerpt provided shows it among a list of Turkish/Islamic titles, supporting its recognition as a borrowed title-word rather than a native English surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older European writing, sultana could also be used more broadly for a queenly or royal woman, not only in strictly Ottoman contexts.
From the historical record
“Califf, Calef, Kalef, Cham, Khan, Kan, Shah, Soldan, Sul- tan, Sultana, Vezir (Vizier), Shireef, Negus, Begam, Bigum, Becum (Begum?), Nysam (Nizam?), - Pacha, Pasha, Pashaw, Bashaw, Ehmir, Ameer, Effendi, Eflfendian, Aga, Valy (Wali ?), Dragoman-ovitch, Bey, Dey, Rais, Reis, Ras, Sheik, Shiek, Shaik, Mooley…”
— A Grammar of American Surnames