Girl nameCurrently #94 in the USFalling
Anna
AN-uh//ˈænə//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19184 lettersStarts with A
Meaning & origin
Grace, favor
Anna is a widely used form of Hannah, from the Hebrew for grace or favor, and appears in the New Testament as an elderly prophetess who recognized the infant Jesus. Simple, palindromic, and used across dozens of languages, it has remained one of the most enduring names in the Western world.
Anna's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Anna |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 2,616 |
| 1881 | 2,714 |
| 1882 | 3,143 |
| 1883 | 3,322 |
| 1884 | 3,880 |
| 1885 | 4,014 |
| 1886 | 4,298 |
| 1887 | 4,240 |
| 1888 | 5,008 |
| 1889 | 5,085 |
| 1890 | 5,253 |
| 1891 | 5,114 |
| 1892 | 5,562 |
| 1893 | 5,712 |
| 1894 | 5,585 |
| 1895 | 5,968 |
| 1896 | 5,877 |
| 1897 | 5,448 |
| 1898 | 5,804 |
| 1899 | 5,138 |
| 1900 | 6,139 |
| 1901 | 4,941 |
| 1902 | 5,304 |
| 1903 | 5,116 |
| 1904 | 5,346 |
| 1905 | 5,445 |
| 1906 | 5,515 |
| 1907 | 5,595 |
| 1908 | 5,870 |
| 1909 | 5,828 |
| 1910 | 6,457 |
| 1911 | 6,773 |
| 1912 | 8,615 |
| 1913 | 9,718 |
| 1914 | 11,905 |
| 1915 | 15,150 |
| 1916 | 15,263 |
| 1917 | 15,193 |
| 1918 | 15,697 |
| 1919 | 14,540 |
| 1920 | 14,614 |
| 1921 | 14,504 |
| 1922 | 13,449 |
| 1923 | 12,903 |
| 1924 | 13,108 |
| 1925 | 12,284 |
| 1926 | 11,746 |
| 1927 | 11,264 |
| 1928 | 10,626 |
| 1929 | 9,792 |
| 1930 | 9,133 |
| 1931 | 8,462 |
| 1932 | 7,962 |
| 1933 | 7,097 |
| 1934 | 6,705 |
| 1935 | 6,192 |
| 1936 | 5,764 |
| 1937 | 5,468 |
| 1938 | 5,166 |
| 1939 | 4,947 |
| 1940 | 4,742 |
| 1941 | 4,446 |
| 1942 | 4,512 |
| 1943 | 4,244 |
| 1944 | 3,650 |
| 1945 | 3,619 |
| 1946 | 4,013 |
| 1947 | 4,253 |
| 1948 | 4,052 |
| 1949 | 3,912 |
| 1950 | 3,824 |
| 1951 | 3,884 |
| 1952 | 3,729 |
| 1953 | 3,848 |
| 1954 | 4,012 |
| 1955 | 4,105 |
| 1956 | 4,412 |
| 1957 | 4,453 |
| 1958 | 4,668 |
| 1959 | 4,898 |
| 1960 | 4,673 |
| 1961 | 4,696 |
| 1962 | 4,444 |
| 1963 | 4,272 |
| 1964 | 4,313 |
| 1965 | 3,933 |
| 1966 | 3,695 |
| 1967 | 3,740 |
| 1968 | 3,579 |
| 1969 | 3,733 |
| 1970 | 3,820 |
| 1971 | 3,592 |
| 1972 | 3,462 |
| 1973 | 3,519 |
| 1974 | 3,633 |
| 1975 | 3,592 |
| 1976 | 3,600 |
| 1977 | 3,871 |
| 1978 | 4,187 |
| 1979 | 4,698 |
| 1980 | 5,060 |
| 1981 | 5,216 |
| 1982 | 5,293 |
| 1983 | 5,233 |
| 1984 | 5,328 |
| 1985 | 5,903 |
| 1986 | 5,934 |
| 1987 | 6,193 |
| 1988 | 6,471 |
| 1989 | 6,957 |
| 1990 | 7,326 |
| 1991 | 7,132 |
| 1992 | 6,859 |
| 1993 | 6,820 |
| 1994 | 7,547 |
| 1995 | 8,583 |
| 1996 | 8,583 |
| 1997 | 8,342 |
| 1998 | 8,399 |
| 1999 | 9,126 |
| 2000 | 10,622 |
| 2001 | 10,601 |
| 2002 | 10,406 |
| 2003 | 9,476 |
| 2004 | 9,575 |
| 2005 | 9,129 |
| 2006 | 8,616 |
| 2007 | 7,911 |
| 2008 | 7,288 |
| 2009 | 6,828 |
| 2010 | 6,345 |
| 2011 | 5,679 |
| 2012 | 5,633 |
| 2013 | 5,403 |
| 2014 | 5,704 |
| 2015 | 5,156 |
| 2016 | 4,811 |
| 2017 | 4,582 |
| 2018 | 4,202 |
| 2019 | 3,845 |
| 2020 | 3,512 |
| 2021 | 3,084 |
| 2022 | 2,958 |
| 2023 | 2,931 |
| 2024 | 2,700 |
Anna through the decades
- Anna peaked in 1918, when 15,697 babies were named Anna in the US.
- The 1920s were Anna's strongest decade, averaging 12,429 births a year.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Anna has fallen 45% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Anna currently ranks #94 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Annie
Variants & spellings
AnneAnaHannah
Famous people named Anna
- Anna Pavlova — ballerina