Anne

Girl · Hebrew, through Greek and Latin

Anne

Say it: AN

Try it with your surname

Meaning

From Hebrew Hannah 'grace, favour'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

Spread with the late medieval cult of Saint Anne, mother of the Virgin, and became one of the commonest English names under the Tudors.

Its wave through time

Fading since the 1910s

In the United States

323,458 babies given this name since 1880
At its height in 1911, about 1 in 262 girls
461 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

English French German American

The family of the name

Other spellings: Ann, Anna, Annys

Latin	Anna
French	Anne
German	Anna
Spanish	Ana

Famous bearers

Anne Boleyn, queen of Henry VIII
Anne of Bohemia, queen of Richard II

Names worth a look

EllaGirlUncertain. It was used by the Normans as a Germanic name (perhaps from ali 'other' or alja), and later also as a…Middle Ages · peak 1887

FlorenceGirl or boyFrom Latin Florentius and Florentia, from florens 'flourishing'.Middle Ages · peak 1898

TiffanyGirlThe medieval vernacular form of Greek Theophania 'manifestation of God', the name of the feast of Epiphany; girls…Middle Ages · peak 1988

EleanorGirlFrom Occitan Aliénor, of uncertain origin; it is often explained as alia Aenor 'the other Aenor', but this is not…Middle Ages · peak 1915

AudreyGirlA medieval English short form of Old English Æthelthryth, from æthel 'noble' and thryth 'strength'.Middle Ages · peak 1928

IreneGirlGreek eirēnē, 'peace'.Greece · peak 1909

AnthonyBoyFrom the Roman family name Antonius, of unknown origin. The 'h' in English comes from a false link with Greek anthos…Rome · peak 1987

AndrewBoyGreek Andreas, from anēr (andros) 'man'; andreia means 'manliness, courage'.Biblical · peak 1987

Where this comes from

Royal and noble genealogies
Parish baptism registers
Lives of the saints and early Christian martyrologies
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.