Anna

Origin and meaning of Anna

Gender:
Historical gender:

Usage over the past 5 years:

Girls - 99% (47,842 births)

Boys - 1% (59 births)

Source: US SSA data

girl Girl
girl Girl

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Origin:

Greek and Latin variant of the Hebrew name Hannah

Meaning:

Grace, favor

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Origin:

Sanskrit

Meaning:

Grain

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Origin:

Japanese

Meaning:

Apricot of Nara

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More info:

Anna is a Latin and Greek variant of the name Hannah, which is a variant spelling of the Hebrew name Channah, meaning "grace; favor."

As early as the 6th century AD, Anna was used in Latin and Greek versions of the Old Testament as a form of Hannah. Anna is the name of the mother of the virgin Mary in the Apocryphal Gospels, and also known as Saint Anna or St. Anne. In the New Testament, Anna is the name of a prophetess who recognizes the the infant Jesus as the Messiah.

Anna was popular in the Byzantine Empire and among Western Christians during the Middle Ages, but was generally overshadowed by the French Anne in the English speaking world until the 19th century.

Anna was used frequently among royalty in Russia, including Anna of Russia, who was Empress from 1730-1740.

Anna Karenina is the name of the heroine in Russian author Leo Tolstoy's novel of the same name.

In India, Anna is a masculine name derived from the Sanskrit word meaning "grain."

In Japanese, Anna can be written with the character "an" (apricot) and "na" (nara; what?)

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Pronunciation:

AAN ah

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Form of:

Hannah

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Variants:

• Ana
• Anaïs
• Anika
• Anissa
• Ann
• Annalise
• Anne
• Anneliese
• Annette
• Annika
• Annalee
• Ania
• Anushka
• Anja
• Ani
• Annah
• Annetta
• Anica
• Ona
• Anneke
• Anner
• Annick
• Aina
• Annelien
• Anouk
• Ans
• Antje
• Annag
• Nandag
• Anneli
• Anni
• Annikki
• Annukka
• Aniko
• Annuska
• Panni
• Anina

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Rating:

1 Name Surveys

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Popularity:

Ranks 35th in the latest U.S. Social Security Administration list of most popular baby girl names. Show popularity chart

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Categories:

Anna is listed in the name categories below

• Bible
• Biblical
• Breton
• Bulgarian
• Catalan
• Christian
• Classic
• Czech
• Dutch
• English
• Estonian
• Finnish
• French
• German
• Germanic
• Greek
• Hindi
• Hungarian
• Icelandic
• Indian
• Irish
• Italian
• Japanese
• Latin
• Polish
• Royal
• Russian
• Sanskrit
• Scandinavian
• Slavonic
• Slovak

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Is your name Anna?
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What is it like to be named Anna?

That's what we asked people named Anna in our name survey.

How do people named Anna rate their name? (1 responses)

Are children made fun of because they're named Anna? (1 responses)

Do others often misspell Anna? (1 responses)

Do others often mispronounce Anna? (1 responses)

Is Anna often mispronounced in other languages? (1 responses)

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Is your name Anna?
Take our 1 minute survey and tell us what it is like to be named Anna. It's 5 multiple choice questions!

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Popularity of Anna (Source: US SSA)

Year

Since 1880 Anna was chosen 865,017 times as a name, 862,305 times for girls and 2,712 times for boys

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Year	Overall Rank	Girls Rank	Boys Rank	Girls Births	Boys Births
2012	118	35	12,285	5,552	5
2011	116	38	9,595	5,601	7
2010	99	28	7,565	6,242	10
2009	98	28	7,701	6,755	10
2008	93	26	7,196	7,236	11
2007	88	25	7,111	7,866	11
2006	78	22	12,125	8,590	5
2005	76	22	4,469	9,085	19
2004	66	20	2,420	9,510	46
2003	66	21	5,570	9,429	13
2002	60	20	5,742	10,372	12
2001	59	19	6,952	10,564	9
2000	60	22	6,866	10,569	9
1999	71	29	5,670	9,081	11
1998	75	31	4,883	8,365	13
1997	78	33	-	8,330	-
1996	75	33	5,997	8,543	9
1995	74	31	4,289	8,544	14
1994	89	41	3,594	7,516	18
1993	102	47	6,250	6,796	8
1992	105	49	7,459	6,830	6
1991	106	46	4,012	7,104	14
1990	106	45	2,168	7,283	33
1989	112	51	1,433	6,887	58
1988	115	54	2,198	6,426	28
1987	113	52	2,334	6,160	24
1986	112	51	2,056	5,894	28
1985	115	54	2,705	5,879	18
1984	120	57	2,293	5,302	22
1983	118	55	2,916	5,219	15
1982	117	56	2,205	5,260	23
1981	116	54	2,137	5,182	24
1980	121	55	2,212	5,026	23
1979	128	59	1,865	4,663	29
1978	138	66	2,934	4,168	14
1977	147	74	2,362	3,846	19
1976	152	78	2,706	3,579	15
1975	154	79	2,754	3,567	14
1974	156	82	2,954	3,608	12
1973	163	88	2,859	3,498	12
1972	173	87	2,665	3,443	13
1971	192	106	2,557	3,572	14
1970	187	102	1,938	3,790	21
1969	184	99	2,550	3,714	12
1968	185	99	2,737	3,561	10
1967	178	91	2,239	3,715	13
1966	188	95	1,964	3,666	16
1965	188	96	2,270	3,919	13
1964	186	97	1,732	4,285	21
1963	196	102	1,956	4,247	17
1962	194	100	2,190	4,440	14
1961	192	100	1,874	4,660	19
1960	197	104	2,211	4,651	14
1959	188	99	1,812	4,873	20
1958	195	103	3,282	4,653	7
1957	196	105	2,495	4,443	11
1956	192	104	1,827	4,381	19
1955	194	105	2,046	4,095	15
1954	195	105	2,320	3,996	12
1953	190	98	2,294	3,836	12
1952	196	101	2,014	3,716	15
1951	184	94	2,047	3,853	14
1950	184	93	2,589	3,816	9
1949	175	91	1,946	3,895	15
1948	172	89	1,945	4,046	15
1947	178	92	1,995	4,233	15
1946	170	87	1,951	4,005	14
1945	145	73	2,010	3,605	12
1944	145	74	1,816	3,635	15
1943	124	64	2,075	4,235	13
1942	117	59	1,423	4,487	24
1941	106	56	1,906	4,430	14
1940	97	51	1,334	4,717	25
1939	85	43	1,579	4,933	18
1938	80	40	1,439	5,140	22
1937	77	38	1,630	5,446	18
1936	70	36	1,052	5,725	37
1935	64	34	1,227	6,162	30
1934	60	31	1,386	6,675	24
1933	53	29	1,334	7,067	25
1932	47	24	1,090	7,921	38
1931	46	25	1,190	8,427	33
1930	44	23	930	9,078	52
1929	40	20	1,053	9,740	42
1928	34	16	951	10,567	51
1927	33	16	995	11,212	50
1926	32	15	992	11,704	48
1925	28	13	1,277	12,246	32
1924	27	13	1,287	13,083	32
1923	27	13	1,140	12,857	39
1922	25	12	1,110	13,406	41
1921	22	11	1,413	14,475	28
1920	21	10	1,252	14,576	33
1919	19	10	1,034	14,498	43
1918	19	10	1,256	15,668	31
1917	16	7	1,176	15,161	33
1916	16	7	1,096	15,225	35
1915	15	7	1,159	15,122	31
1914	15	6	855	11,864	40
1913	14	7	873	9,681	31
1912	14	7	816	8,585	29
1911	9	6	708	6,752	20
1910	9	6	636	6,434	21
1909	9	6	532	5,803	24
1908	8	5	882	5,858	10
1907	7	4	541	5,575	20
1906	7	4	675	5,502	13
1905	7	4	492	5,424	21
1904	6	3	566	5,330	16
1903	6	3	506	5,098	18
1902	6	3	536	5,288	16
1901	5	3	454	4,923	18
1900	6	3	455	6,115	25
1899	4	2	384	5,115	23
1898	4	2	346	5,773	31
1897	4	2	441	5,429	19
1896	4	2	502	5,860	17
1895	4	2	478	5,949	18
1894	4	2	421	5,565	20
1893	4	2	449	5,695	17
1892	4	2	423	5,542	20
1891	4	2	456	5,099	15
1890	4	2	405	5,233	20
1889	4	2	371	5,062	23
1888	5	2	360	4,982	26
1887	6	2	517	4,227	12
1886	7	2	472	4,283	15
1885	7	2	399	3,994	20
1884	7	2	400	3,860	20
1883	7	2	448	3,306	16
1882	8	2	-	3,143	-
1881	8	2	431	2,698	16
1880	9	2	529	2,604	12

Show all years since 1880 ▼

1880-89	7	2	445
1890-99	4	2	436
1900-09	6	4	567
1910-19	14	7	953
1920-29	28	13	1157
1930-39	60	31	1253
1940-49	139	72	1828
1950-59	192	101	2324
1960-64	195	102	2058
1965-69	185	95	2303
1970-74	179	96	2505
1975-79	148	74	2689
1980-84	118	55	2368
1985-89	114	53	2323
1990-94	105	47	4972
1995-99	76	32	5056
2000	60	22	6866
2001	59	19	6952
2002	60	20	5742
2003	66	21	5570
2004	66	20	2420
2005	76	22	4469
2006	78	22	12125
2007	88	25	7111
2008	93	26	7196
2009	98	28	7701
2010	99	28	7565
2011	116	38	9595
2012	118	35	12285

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• Cara
• Vanessa
• Miriam
• Gloria
• Gianna

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Is your name Anna?
Take our 1 minute survey and tell us what it is like to be named Anna. It's 5 multiple choice questions!

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