Anay - Name Meaning and Popularity -

Meaning of Anay

Anay is a unisex given name of Indian provenance, etymologically composed of the Sanskrit negating prefix a- (“absence of”) affixed to naya (“leader” or “guide”), and traditionally invoked as an epithet of the deity Vishnu to convey self-sufficiency and supreme authority. In Anglo-American onomastic practice, it has seen a pattern of gradual yet sustained adoption: according to United States Social Security Administration data, occurrences rose from single digits in the early 2000s to a peak of 102 in 2017 (rank 803), with a measured fluctuation in the subsequent years and 46 newborns recorded under the name in 2024 (rank 878). Phonologically, it conforms seamlessly to both Hindi and English phonotactic norms—pronounced /ʌˈneɪ/—a feature that has likely facilitated its cross-cultural appeal. The name’s austere morphology and semantic emphasis on autonomy and guidance underscore its contemporary resonance within diverse naming conventions.