Dattanna as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Dattanna

What is the meaning of the name Dattanna ?

The baby name Dattanna is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced DUT-tuh-nah (IPA: /ˈdʌt.tə.nɑː/).

Dattanna is Indian, Sanskrit in Origin.

Rooted in Sanskrit datta “given, granted,” Dattanna is a South Indian (primarily Kannada) masculine name. It blends Datta - an epithet linked to the Hindu deity Dattatreya, whose name means “given to Atri” - with the Kannada honorific suffix -anna, meaning “elder brother” or a respectful form of address. As a result, Dattanna conveys “the bestowed one” or “God’s gift,” layered with familial respect.

Used in Karnataka and neighboring regions, the form likely grew from devotional and familial speech, where -anna titles became fixed as given names. It remains uncommon but culturally resonant in communities honoring Dattatreya. As a respectful form, it has also been used as a sobriquet for elders and artists in Kannada cultural life. Variants and related forms include Datta, Dutta (Bengali/Assamese/Marathi), Datt, and Dattatreya; diminutives or nicknames include Datta, Dattu, and Anna.

⚙ We have no record of Dattanna in any national birth registry or name dataset. Names like this are usually very rare, tied to a particular region or tradition, or freshly invented. Whichever it is, scarcely anyone else carries it.