girl's name
Anna
AN-uh
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 1,114,606
the United States
#107
2025 births
Anna is a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "grace" or "favor," the Greek and Latin form of Hannah. Both descend from the same Hebrew Channah, arriving in English by different routes — Anna through Greek, Hannah straight from Hebrew.
- Anna is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 1918, when 15,697 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,315 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Anna 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 | 38,320 |
| 1890s | 55,461 |
| 1900s | 55,099 |
| 1910s | 119,311 |
| 1920s | 124,291 |
| 1930s | 66,896 |
| 1940s | 41,444 |
| 1950s | 41,834 |
| 1960s | 41,084 |
| 1970s | 37,976 |
| 1980s | 57,590 |
| 1990s | 78,721 |
| 2000s | 90,470 |
| 2010s | 51,381 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 17,737 |
What Anna means
Anna means grace or favor, from the Hebrew chanan, to be gracious. It is the same name as Hannah, and the same root behind John, Joanna and Anne.
Where Anna comes from
Anna is the Greek and Latin rendering of the Hebrew Channah, meaning grace. The Gospel of Luke features a prophetess named Anna in the temple, and later Christian tradition — though not scripture — named the Virgin Mary's mother Anne, from the same source, which made the name enormously popular across medieval Europe. English ended up with both Anna and Anne, plus Hannah taken directly from Hebrew after the Reformation, so three forms of one name circulate side by side. Anna is the standard form across most of continental Europe and has been continuously used in English since the eighteenth century.
Anna in use
Anna, Anne and Hannah are the same name arriving in English by three different routes.
How popular is Anna?
In 2025, Anna was given to 2,521 babies in the United States, ranking #107 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Anna 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 Anna
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Anna also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Anna over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Anna
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Anna 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 Anna
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Anna — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Anna
What does the name Anna mean?
Anna means "grace" or "favor," from the Hebrew Channah.
Is Anna the same name as Hannah?
Yes. Anna came through Greek, Hannah directly from Hebrew.
Is Anna in the Bible?
Yes — a prophetess named Anna appears in the temple in Luke's gospel.
How popular is the name Anna?
In 2025, Anna was given to 2,521 babies in the United States, ranking #107 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Anna a girl's or a boy's name?
Anna is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Anna?
Anna has 2 syllables.
When was Anna most popular?
Anna peaked in 1918, when 15,697 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Anna?
Anna is usually shortened to Annie and Nan.
Is Anna a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Anna currently ranks #15 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.