Girl's name
Anna
Say it AN-uh
Latin origin grace, gracious, graced with child
2 syllables
Where Anna is loved, common and rare
Loved in Austria and two more places. Common across Northern Ireland, Italy, six German cities and 13 more places. Rare in Sweden, England and Wales, Slovenia and one more place.
1 in 95 girls born in Northern Ireland in 2025
Austria 6thNorthern Ireland 11thItaly 12th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 28 of the 40 official lists, among them Austria (6th), Northern Ireland (11th) and Italy (12th).
Show all 28 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hungary | 6th 2025 | 647 | rank only |
| Austria | 6th 2025 | 423 | 1 in 84 |
| Northern Ireland | 11th 2025 | 77 | 1 in 95 |
| Italy | 12th 2024 | 1,983 | 1 in 90 |
| France | 15th 2025 | 1,925 | 1 in 149 |
| Berlin city | 15th 2023 | 97 | about 1 in 150 |
| Switzerland | 16th 2025 | 175 | 1 in 194 |
| Munich city | 17th 2025 | 45 | about 1 in 93 |
| The Netherlands | 21st 2025 | 396 | about 1 in 154 |
| Norway | 23rd 2025 | 196 | 1 in 111 |
| Ireland | 26th 2025 | 143 | 1 in 148 |
| Cologne city | 26th 2023 | 31 | about 1 in 198 |
| Poland | 34th 2025 | 1,147 | 1 in 104 |
| Quebec province | 44th 2025 | 111 | about 1 in 234 |
| Ontario province | 47th 2024 | 172 | about 1 in 317 |
| Scotland | 54th 2025 | 74 | 1 in 242 |
| Catalonia region | 64th 2025 | 68 | 1 in 283 |
| British Columbia province | 78th 2023 | 34 | about 1 in 352 |
| New Zealand | 88th 2025 | 43 | rank only |
| Sweden | 140th 2025 | 63 | about 1 in 638 |
| England and Wales | 142nd 2025 | 347 | 1 in 730 |
| Slovenia | 180th 2025 | 7 | about 1 in 944 |
| Israel אנה | 342nd 2024 | 37 | about 1 in 2,121 |
| Moscow city Анна | 1st 2025 | 1,914 | rank only |
| Denmark | 17th 2025 | 284 | rank only |
| Bonn city | 31st 2025 | 15 | about 1 in 201 |
| Rostock city | 36th 2025 | 5 | about 1 in 197 |
| Leipzig city | 41st 2025 | 11 | about 1 in 239 |
Rare, below the listed names: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Spain.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Israel publishes names in Hebrew script. The Latin spelling shown is our transliteration; the published form is shown beside it.
Moscow publishes names in Cyrillic. The Latin spelling shown is our transliteration; the published form is shown beside it.
Sources: Belügyminisztérium, Nyilvántartások (kormany.hu) (Hungary); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); NISRA (Northern Ireland); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (opendata.muenchen.de) (Munich); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) (Catalonia); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), SmartStart (New Zealand); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Statistični urad Republike Slovenije (SURS), SiStat (Slovenia); Central Bureau of Statistics (Israel) (Israel); Moscow Civil Registry Office (ZAGS), data.mos.ru (Moscow); Statistics Denmark (DST) (Denmark); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn); Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock (opendata-hro.de) (Rostock); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig). How we count, and every source
About the name
Anna reached Europe through Late Latin and Greek from the Hebrew Ḥannâ (Hannah), meaning 'grace, gracious, graced with child'. It spread chiefly through St Anne, by tradition the mother of Mary, and it is also the name of the prophetess Anna in the New Testament.
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Two syllables, AN-uh, read the same backwards and forwards. Ann, Anne, Hannah and Ana are all forms of the same name, and Annika, Anja and Anita are among its many relatives.
Anna is a top-ten name in Austria and Hungary and ranks high in Italy and Northern Ireland. The French records place its peak in 2018, but it has been falling in more places than it is rising as its long run as a European staple levels off.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- AN-uh, 2 syllables
- Meaning
grace, gracious, graced with child
- Origin
- Latin
Counted together here: ANNA.
Etymology
From Late Latin Anna both directly and via numerous other languages, chiefly in reference to St Anne the apocryphal mother of Mary mother of Jesus but appearing in the Vulgate in reference to Anne the Prophetess, from Koine Greek Ἄννα (Ánna) in the New Testament, from Hebrew חַנָּה (Ḥannâ, “Hannah”), from חַנָּה (ḥannâ, “grace, gracious, graced with child”).
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 1 of 27 regions, falling in 15.
Show the yearsShow less
Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 73 | 75 | 85 | 82 | 89 | 97 | 114 | 126 | 125 | 142 |
| Scotland | 22 | 26 | 22 | 25 | 41 | 43 | 30 | 39 | 53 | 54 |
| Northern Ireland | 4 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 9 | 16 | 14 | 19 | 11 |
| Ireland | 17 | 12 | 12 | 19 | 14 | 21 | 25 | 23 | 29 | 26 |
| Ontario | 43 | 37 | 38 | 45 | 47 | 58 | 70 | 78 | 47 | |
| British Columbia | 29 | 39 | 48 | 38 | 49 | 43 | 60 | 78 | ||
| Nova Scotia | 14 | |||||||||
| New South Wales | 56 | 48 | 86 | 70 | 75 | 81 | ||||
| Victoria | 66 | 62 | 72 | 79 | 69 | 93 | ||||
| Queensland | 90 | 84 | ||||||||
| South Australia | 46 | 66 | 79 | 91 | 60 | |||||
| New Zealand | 74 | 76 | 74 | 86 | 99 | 88 | ||||
| Quebec | 63 | 48 | 42 | 42 | 40 | 45 | 51 | 50 | 75 | 44 |
| France | 15 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 15 |
| The Netherlands | 5 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 25 | 21 | |
| Austria | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| Switzerland | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 16 |
| Berlin | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 15 | ||
| Munich | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 12 | 17 |
| Cologne | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 20 | 26 | ||
| Bonn | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 19 | 11 | 41 | 28 | 31 |
| Leipzig | 6 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 22 | 9 | 33 | 41 |
| Rostock | 20 | 8 | 15 | 36 | 14 | 37 | 38 | 47 | 12 | 36 |
| Norway | 8 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 19 | 15 | 19 | 29 | 23 |
| Sweden | 111 | 106 | 123 | 124 | 113 | 106 | 153 | 150 | 128 | 140 |
| Denmark | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 17 |
| Iceland | 12 | 8 | ||||||||
| Spain | 99 | 94 | ||||||||
| Catalonia | 33 | 27 | 39 | 43 | 45 | 43 | 48 | 64 | 58 | 64 |
| Italy | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 12 | |
| Poland | 17 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 28 | 31 | 34 |
| Hungary | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Slovenia | 195 | 156 | 179 | 231 | 237 | 156 | 180 | |||
| Estonia | 4 | 11 | 11 | 19 | 16 | 23 | 24 | |||
| Moscow | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| Israel | 190 | 172 | 169 | 227 | 252 | 235 | 263 | 260 | 342 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 142 | 347 | 137.0 |
| 2024 | 125 | 388 | 150.4 |
| 2023 | 126 | 393 | 153.2 |
| 2022 | 114 | 450 | 170.8 |
| 2021 | 97 | 545 | 198.9 |
| 2020 | 89 | 574 | 213.8 |
| 2019 | 82 | 642 | 229.2 |
| 2018 | 85 | 628 | 217.9 |
| 2017 | 75 | 730 | 244.1 |
| 2016 | 73 | 779 | 253.6 |
| 2015 | 70 | 825 | 267.9 |
| 2014 | 70 | 804 | 262.2 |
| 2013 | 69 | 812 | 263.2 |
| 2012 | 68 | 902 | 280.1 |
| 2011 | 67 | 827 | 257.4 |
| 2010 | 63 | 959 | 298.7 |
| 2009 | 64 | 972 | 310.2 |
| 2008 | 64 | 1,028 | 325.6 |
| 2007 | 58 | 1,052 | 343.7 |
| 2006 | 50 | 1,130 | 377.6 |
| 2005 | 52 | 1,096 | 380.2 |
| 2004 | 50 | 1,173 | 410.3 |
| 2003 | 39 | 1,235 | 443.2 |
| 2002 | 37 | 1,292 | 483.2 |
| 2001 | 34 | 1,432 | 534.3 |
| 2000 | 31 | 1,612 | 590.1 |
| 1999 | 39 | 1,369 | 486.0 |
| 1998 | 42 | 1,389 | 480.3 |
| 1997 | 40 | 1,490 | 508.2 |
| 1996 | 47 | 1,274 | 430.4 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Anna in France since 1925 were born in or after 2005. First recorded in 1925. Her peak year there: 2018, at 766.7 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Anna per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period. Her 2018 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Anna
1 in 228 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Anna.
1 in 271 in Ireland
1 in 491 in Ireland
1 in 166 in Northern Ireland
1 in 571 in Ireland
1 in 728 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Anna.
1 in 729 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Anna.
1 in 515 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Anna.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Anna.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Anna.
Similar forms, not dealt separately: Sofia and Sophie.
Middle names for Anna
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Anna Grace
2-1 beats · initials AG
Changes the beat after Anna: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Anna Olivia
2-4 beats · initials AO · Anna slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Anna: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Anna slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Anna Sophia
2-3 beats · initials AS
Changes the beat after Anna: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Anna Maria
2-3 beats · initials AM
Changes the beat after Anna: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Anna Rose
2-1 beats · initials AR
Changes the beat after Anna: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Anna Emily
2-3 beats · initials AE · Anna slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Anna: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Anna slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Anna Julia
2-3 beats · initials AJ
Changes the beat after Anna: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Anna Miriam
2-3 beats · initials AM
Changes the beat after Anna: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Anna
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 154 in Ireland
96% alike: moves with Anna across countries and decades.
1 in 228 in Northern Ireland
95% alike: moves with Anna across countries and decades.
1 in 260 in Northern Ireland
95% alike: moves with Anna across countries and decades.
1 in 271 in Ireland
95% alike: moves with Anna across countries and decades.
1 in 491 in Ireland
95% alike: moves with Anna across countries and decades.
1 in 729 in Northern Ireland
95% alike: moves with Anna across countries and decades.
1 in 515 in Ireland
94% alike: moves with Anna across countries and decades.
1 in 311 in Ireland
94% alike: moves with Anna across countries and decades.
Famous people named Anna
Anna Netrebko, Anna Akhmatova, Anna Politkovskaya, Anna Kournikova, Anna Pavlova, Anna Maria Jopek, Anna of Russia and Anna Kendrick.
Show all 8Show less
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Russian and Austrian operatic soprano born 1971
-
Russian poet (1889–1966)
-
Russian journalist (1958–2006)
-
Russian tennis player and model born 1981
-
Russian ballet dancer (1881–1931) 1882 to 1931
-
Polish musician and singer born 1970
-
Fourth Emperor of Russia from 1730 to 1740 (1693-1740)
-
American actress (born 1985)
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Anna
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Anna?
Her best rank is No. 6 in Austria in 2025, about 1 in 84 girls. She is in the published lists of 28 of our 40 regions.
What does Anna mean?
Wiktionary glosses Anna as "grace, gracious, graced with child".
How do you pronounce Anna?
AN-uh, with 2 syllables.
Is Anna getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 1 of 27 regions, falling in 15.
Which sister names go with Anna?
The deck's top five sisters for Anna: Eva, Emilia, Julia, Clara and Sara. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.