Anna
Meaning of Anna
Anna originates from the Hebrew Channah, “grace” or “favor,” and entered English through Greek and Latin biblical texts, where it was linked to Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary; this sacred association, alongside later cultural touchstones such as Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina and First Lady Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, secured its place in the Anglo-American imagination. In the United States its statistical curve is emblematic of a durable classic: after ascending to a top-ten position during the 1910s and 1920s, the name receded gradually yet never vanished, remaining within the contemporary top hundred and thus demonstrating remarkable generational persistence. Pronounced AN-uh in English and AH-nah in Italian and much of continental Europe, Anna’s transparent phonology facilitates effortless cross-linguistic adoption, a trait that anthroponymic research identifies as strongly predictive of long-term survival. Compact in form, steeped in scriptural heritage, and continuously validated by historical data, Anna exemplifies a name that balances historical gravitas with modern accessibility, offering parents a choice that is both time-honored and perennially relevant.
Pronunciation
Italian
- Pronunced as AH-nah (/ˈaːna/)
English
- Pronunced as AN-uh (/ˈænə/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Anna
| Anna Wintour is a British and American media executive, the longtime editor in chief of Vogue and global chief content officer of Conde Nast, a powerful Met Gala chair famed for her bob and sunglasses, praised for spotting trends yet seen as aloof. |
| Kisan Baburao Anna Hazare is an Indian social activist who led movements for rural development, government transparency, and anti corruption, and he received the Padma Bhushan in 1992. |
| Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American Hollywood film star and the first Chinese American actress to gain international recognition, built a career across silent and sound film, television, stage and radio. |
| Anna Akhmatova, born Anna Andreyevna Gorenko, was a leading 20th century Russian and Soviet poet, a wartime voice in World War II, and a Nobel Prize in Literature nominee in 1965 and 1966. |
| Anna Kay Faris is an American actress best known for her comedic roles, especially as Cindy Campbell in the Scary Movie films. |
| Anna Pavlova was a Russian prima ballerina, a principal with the Imperial Russian Ballet and the Ballets Russes, celebrated for The Dying Swan and as the first ballerina to tour the world with her own company. |
| Anna of Russia - Anna Ioannovna was regent of Courland from 1711 to 1730 and Empress of Russia from 1730 to 1740, continuing the reforms of Peter the Great while her reign was later seen in Russia as a dark era. |
| Anna Paquin is a New Zealand actress, born in Canada and raised in Wellington, who won an Oscar at 11 for The Piano and later appeared in films like Fly Away Home and Almost Famous. |
| American actress Anna Cooke Kendrick is known for charming roles in comedies and musicals and has earned Oscar, Emmy, and Tony nominations. |
| Anna Tuthill Harrison served only one month as first lady in 1841, never went to Washington, was the oldest to assume the role until 2021, became the first to be widowed while serving, and uniquely was wife of one president and grandmother of another. |
| Anna Cappellini is an Italian ice dancer who, with partner Luca Lanotte, won the 2014 World and European titles and the 2015 Cup of China, and is a 13 time Grand Prix medalist and seven time Italian national champion. |
| Anna Veith is an Austrian former alpine ski racer, Olympic gold medalist, and overall World Cup champion in 2014 and 2015. |
| English Theosophist Anna Kingsford championed anti-vivisection, vegetarianism, and women's rights. |
| Anna Amalia, Abbess of Quedlinburg - Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia was a German composer and music curator, princess abbess of Quedlinburg, and daughter of Frederick William I and sister of Frederick the Great. |
