Buena

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Buena

Pronounced BWAY-nah /ˈbwe.na/Medium

Meaning: Buena comes straight from the Spanish adjective buena, 'good', and can also be a short form of Buenaventura, 'good fortune' or 'good luck'. As a given name it was a warm virtue name, most at home in Spanish-speaking and Southwestern American families.Medium

In 30 seconds: Buena is a Spanish virtue name meaning 'good', also short for Buenaventura, 'good fortune' (said 'BWAY-nah'). It was a rare early-century girls' name.

💕 Browse more names

Origin MediumSpanish

MeaningBuena comes straight from the Spanish adjective buena, 'good', and can also be a short form of Buenaventura, 'good fortune' or 'good luck'. As a given name it was a warm virtue name, most at home in Spanish-speaking and Southwestern American families.

U.S. rank (1959)#6349 ↘ Falling

1959 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1917

Total births (all-time)≈ 987

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Buena is the feminine of the Spanish bueno, 'good', and stands as a virtue name in the same spirit as Esperanza, 'hope', or Consuelo, 'consolation'. It also clips the longer Buenaventura, 'good fortune', a saint's name, and appears in the American record chiefly among Hispanic families.

It was always a modest choice — a few dozen girls a year at most in the early twentieth century — and it kept a distinctly Spanish, virtuous flavor. It reads today as a heritage name and has not joined any broad revival.

Did you know? Buena doubles as a place name across the American Southwest and beyond — from Buena Vista, 'good view' — so the word carried a bright, favorable ring wherever Spanish was spoken.

Overall data confidence 60%

References — Buena — Spanish 'good'; short for Buenaventura 'good fortune'

Variations

BuenaventuraBueno

Nicknames

BueNita

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Buena…

Consuelo— a fellow Spanish virtue name of the same era

Esperanza— another meaning-rich Spanish girls' name, 'hope'

Paloma— a like warm Spanish name with a gentle sound

Dolores— a Spanish devotional name of the same vintage

Explore names like Buena

By themevintage heritage spanish virtue

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Buena mean?

Buena is a Spanish name meaning 'good', also a short form of Buenaventura ('good fortune').

How do you pronounce Buena?

It's said BWAY-nah /ˈbwe.na/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Buena a boy or girl name?

Buena is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Buena?

Buena is rare, a Spanish virtue name most seen among Hispanic families in the early twentieth century.