girl's name
Ana
AH-nah
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 3
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 131,969
the United States
#245
2025 births
Ana is a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "favor" or "grace," and it is the form of Anna used across Spanish, Portuguese and Slavic Europe. It ranks 148th in France and 245th in the United States.
- Ana is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 1991, when 2,672 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,598 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Ana over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 78 |
| 1890s | 110 |
| 1900s | 157 |
| 1910s | 367 |
| 1920s | 710 |
| 1930s | 757 |
| 1940s | 1,345 |
| 1950s | 3,942 |
| 1960s | 7,873 |
| 1970s | 11,326 |
| 1980s | 15,720 |
| 1990s | 23,715 |
| 2000s | 23,267 |
| 2010s | 14,549 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 8,044 |
What Ana means
Ana means favor or grace, from the Hebrew Channah, built on the root chanan, to show favor. It describes something granted rather than a quality held, which is why so many names about divine favor descend from it.
Where Ana comes from
Ana is the Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian, Serbian, Romanian and Georgian form of Anna, the Greek rendering of the Hebrew Channah. Hannah in the first book of Samuel is childless, prays so intensely at Shiloh that the priest takes her for drunk, and names her son Samuel. A separate tradition made Anna the name of the Virgin Mary's mother, which is not in the New Testament at all — it comes from the second-century Protoevangelium of James — and that is what carried the name into every Catholic country. From Anna descend Anne, Annette, Nancy, Nan, Nina and Anita, so a large share of European women's names run back to one Hebrew root. Ana is unrelated to the Sanskrit and Japanese names that share the spelling.
Ana in use
Ana ranks 148th in France with about 360 births in 2025 and 245th in the United States with 1,276 births, its largest market by some way. Our records mark it stable with a peak in 1991 and carry it from 1880. It appears in every market we hold, which very few names manage — 300th in Ireland, 381st in Scotland, 443rd in England and Wales, 495th in Northern Ireland.
How popular is Ana?
In 2025, Ana was given to 1,276 babies in the United States, ranking #245 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Ana is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Ana
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Ana also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Ana over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Ana in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Ana
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Ana — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Ana
What does the name Ana mean?
Ana means "favor" or "grace," from the Hebrew Channah.
Is Ana the same as Anna?
Yes. Ana is the Spanish, Portuguese and Slavic spelling of the same name.
Was Mary's mother called Anna?
Not in the New Testament. The name comes from the second-century Protoevangelium of James.
How popular is Ana?
148th in France and 245th in the United States.
Is Ana a girl's or a boy's name?
Ana is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Ana?
Ana has 2 syllables.
Is Ana a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Ana currently ranks #148 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.