Anna
Meaning
"grace, favor," the Greek and Latin form of Hannah that spread wherever Christianity went; empresses of Russia, a prophetess in the Gospel of Luke, and centuries of quiet European use. The plainest spelling of one of the world's most shared names
Famously borne by Anna Gasser, the Austrian Olympic big air snowboarding champion. Famously borne by Anna Akhmatova, one of Russia's greatest poets.
The story
Anna is the Greek and Latin form of Hannah, the Hebrew name for grace and favor, and it traveled wherever Christianity did: the Gospel of Luke gives us Anna the prophetess, Russia crowned an Empress Anna, and Tolstoy gave literature Anna Karenina. What sets Anna apart in American records is not a dramatic rise or fall but an almost uncanny steadiness: strong in the 1890s, and never far from that level in any decade since. Wars, fashions, and whole waves of trendier names have come and gone while Anna simply held its ground, given generously in every generation for well over a century. Few names can claim that. It is the plainest spelling of one of the most widely shared names on earth, and its record suggests it will still feel current when today's newborns are naming children of their own.
Anna around the world
One shared root links 9 names across 5 languages.
Shared root: from Hebrew Channah "grace, favor", Hannah's prayer-name smoothed through Greek and Latin into Anna and Anne
The constellation
More branches
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Anna peaked in the 1890s and the 1900s in nearly equal measure.
Popularity in Brazil
163,900 people · the #202 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,239 · median age 12
Among people named Anna living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 23,369 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Anna
People given the name Anna in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1960 to 2009. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Anna deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Anna truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Anna fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Anna travels
Vietnamese American · grace, favor (a common Vietnamese Catholic baptismal name)
Chinese American · a crossover favorite that echoes Chinese 安 (ān, "peace"), common across generations
Dual-language · also a real Japanese given name written 杏奈 ("apricot, gracefulness") or 安奈, not merely a Western import; one of the strongest true dual-reading names in wide use
Polish · grace (a perennial Polish classic in every generation; Ania at home)
Keep exploring
Names like Anna · Nicknames for Anna · Middle names for Anna · Dual-language baby names · Vietnamese American baby names · Chinese American baby names · Polish baby names · Short names
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