Nan
Meaning
a common Thai girls' call-name; matches the English Nan exactly in sound and spelling, and is also a northern Thai province and river
The formal names behind Nan
Nan is an established short form of each of these names.
Anne · Hebrew origin · variant of Hannah, meaning 'grace, favor' in Hebrew
Anna · Hebrew origin · "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
Hannah · Hebrew origin · "grace, favor," from Channah, the mother who prayed for a child and gave the Bible one of its tenderest stories; a Puritan mainstay revived in the 1980s and 90s to the American top five. A palindrome, warm from either direction
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Nan peaked in the 1890s and the 1950s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
49 people · the #67,613 first name in Brazil · median age 32
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Nan
Most people given the name Nan in the United States were born between 1940 and 1969. The Nan you meet today is most often in her 60s or 70s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Nan deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Nan 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 Nan fits with your family’s names and surname.
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