Anna (name)
![]() Saint Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary, depicted instructing her daughter in this painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The popularity of the name Anne is largely due to this saint. | |
Pronunciation | /ænə/ |
---|---|
Gender | Female |
Origin | |
Word/name | Hebrew, Greek, Latin |
Meaning | "full of grace" |
Region of origin | Worldwide |
Name
Anna is a Latin form of the Hebrew name Hannah ([חַנָּה or Channah] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help), meaning "favor" or "grace".) Anna is in wide use in countries across the world as are its variants Anne, originally a French version of the name, though in use in English speaking countries for hundreds of years, and Ann, which was originally the English spelling. Saint Anne was traditionally the name of the mother of the Virgin Mary, which accounts for its wide use and popularity among Christians. The name has also been used for numerous saints and queens. Used mainly as a female name, but in Dutch it is used for both female and male (Anne de Vries).
Variant forms
Alternate forms of Anna, including spelling variants, short forms and diminutives include:
- Aina (Catalan), (Swedish)
- Áine (Irish)
- Ana Bulgarian, Croatian, Georgian, (Hawaiian), Macedonian, Portuguese, Romanian, Serbian, Slovenian, (Spanish)
- Anabel English, (Spanish)
- Anabela (Portuguese)
- Anabella (Spanish)
- Anaïs (Catalan), French, Provençal
- Ana-Maria (Romanian)
- Anca (Romanian)
- Ance (Latvian)
- Anci (Hungarian)
- Ane (Basque), (Danish), (Hawaiian)
- Anelie (German)
- Aneta (Czech), (Ukrainian)
- Anete (Latvian)
- Anette (Norwegian), (Swedish)
- Anezka (Czech)
- Ania (Polish), (Russian)
- Anica (Croatian), (Romanian), (Serbian), (Slovenian), (Spanish)
- Anice (Scottish)
- Anicka (Czech)
- Anicuta (Portuguese), (Romanian)
- Anie (Armenian)
- Anika (Danish), Dutch, (German)
- Anikó (Hungarian)
- Anina (German)
- Anissa (English)
- Anita (Finnish), (Spanish), (Portuguese), (Latvian), (Swedish)
- Anitte (German)
- Anja (Danish), (Finnish), German, (Norwegian), (Slovenian), (Swedish)
- Anka (Bulgarian), (Croatian), (Polish), (Serbian)
- Ann (English), (Swedish)
- Anna (Armenian), (Breton), (Bulgarian), (Catalan), (Czech), (Danish), (Dutch), (English), (Estonian), (Finnish), (German), (Greek), (Hungarian), (Icelandic), (Italian), (Japanese), (Latvian), (Norwegian), (Polish), (Russian), (Slovakian), (Swedish)
- Annabel (Catalan), (English)
- Anna-Bella (English), (Swedish)
- Annabella (English), (Italian)
- Annabelle (English), (French)
- Annabeth (English)
- Anna-Carin (Swedish)
- Anna-Greta (Swedish)
- Anna-Karin (Swedish)
- Annalee (English)
- Anna-Liisa (Estonian), (Finnish)
- Anna-Lisa (Swedish)
- Annalisa (English), (Italian)
- Annalise (English)
- Anna-Maria (Swedish)
- Annamaria (Italian)
- Ann-Britt (Swedish)
- Ann-Charlotte (Swedish)
- Annchen (German)
- Ann-Christin (Swedish)
- Annegret (German)
- Anneka (English)
- Anneke (Dutch)
- Anneli (Estonian), (Finnish), (Swedish)
- Annelie (Danish), (German), (Norwegian), (Swedish)
- Annelien (Dutch)
- Annelies (Dutch), (German)
- Anneliese (Dutch), (German)
- Annelise (Danish)
- Annella (Scottish)
- Annele (Latvian)
- Annelle (French)
- Annemarie (Dutch), (English), (German)
- Annetta (Italian)
- Annette (French)
- Anni (Estonian), (Finnish), (German), (Swedish)
- Annick (Breton)
- Annie (English)
- Anniina (Finnish)
- Annija (Latvian)
- Annika (Dutch), (Finnish), (Latvian), (Swedish)
- Anniken (Norwegian)
- Annikki (Finnish)
- Anninya (Latvian)
- Ann-Kristin (Swedish)
- Ann-Louise (Swedish)
- Ann-Margret (Swedish)
- Ann-Mari (Swedish)
- Ann-Marie (Swedish)
- Annmarie (English)
- Annora (English)
- Annouche (French)
- Ann-Sofi (Swedish)
- Ann-Sofie (Swedish)
- Annus (Hungarian)
- Annukka (Finnish)
- Annushka (Hungarian), (Russian)
- Annuska (Hungarian)
- Anona (English)
- Anouk (Dutch), (French)
- Anoushka (Slavic)
- Anouska (Slavic)
- Ans (Dutch)
- Antje Dutch, (German)
- Anu (Estonian), (Finnish)
- Anushka (Russian)
- Anuska (Czech)
- Anya (Russian), (Latvian)
- Anyu (Hungarian)
- Anyuta (Latvian)
- Asya (Latvian)
- Asenka (Latvian)
- Ayn
- Ayna
- Chana (Hebrew)
- Chanah (Hebrew)
- Channah (Hebrew)
- Enye (Hebrew)
- Hajna (Hungarian)
- Hana (Czech), (Japanese), (Slovakian)
- Hania (Polish)
- Hanka (Polish)
- Hanna (Danish), (Dutch), (English), (Estonian), Finnish, (German), (Icelandic), (Norwegian), (Polish), (Swedish), Ukrainian
- Hanne (German), (Scandinavian)
- Hannelore (German)
- Hena (Yiddish)
- Henda (Yiddish)
- Hendel (Yiddish)
- Hene (Yiddish)
- Henye (Yiddish)
- Leann (English)
- Leanna (English)
- Leanne (English)
- Leeann (English)
- Lisanne (Dutch), (English)
- Luana (English)
- Luann (English)
- Luanna (English)
- Luanne (English)
- Marian (English)
- Mariana (Czech), (Portuguese), (Romanian), (Spanish)
- Marianna (English), (Greek), (Hungarian), (Italian), (Polish), (Russian), (Slovakian)
- Marianne (English), (French), (Norwegian), (Swedish)
- Marijana (Croatian), (Serbian), (Slovenian)
- Marina (Portuguese), (Russian), (Japanese)
- Marja (Swedish)
- Marjan (Dutch)
- Marjana (Slovenian)
- Maryann (English)
- Maryanne (English)
- Nainsí (Irish)
- Nan (English)
- Nana (Spanish), (Japanese)
- Nancy (English), (Swedish)
- Nandag (Scottish)
- Nanette (English), (French)
- Nani (Greek)
- Nannie (English)
- Nanny (English)
- Nanor (Spanish)
- Nettchen (German)
- Nina (Portuguese)
- Niina (Estonian), (Finnish)
- Nina (Hungarian), (Spanish), (Swedish)
- Ninon (French)
- Nita (Spanish)
- Noula (Greek)
- Nyura (Russian), (Ukrainian)
- Ona (Hebrew), (Lithuanian)
- Onnee (Manx)
- Panni (Hungarian)
- Pollyanna (English)
- Rosanna (English), (Italian), (Portuguese)
- Rosannah (English)
- Rosanne (English)
- Roseann (English)
- Roseanne (English)
- Rozanne (English)
- Ruthann (English)
- Ruthanne (English)
- Saranna (English)
- Yanina (Latvian)
People
There are a number of people whose first name and the most significant name was Anna or Anne:
- Anne de Vries, Dutch writer from Drenthe
- Anna, the sister of Dido in Roman mythology and later literature
- Anna, an alternate name for Morgause of Arthurian legend
- Anna (Bible), from the Gospel of Luke 2:36, a "prophetess", "daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher"
- Anna of East Anglia, a king of East Anglia
- Queen Anne of England, last Stuart sovereign of Great Britain
- Anne, Princess Royal, only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II
- Anne Boleyn, Queen consort and second wife of King Henry VIII of England
- Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of King Henry VIII
- Anne of Austria, Queen consort of France
- Anne of Brittany, Queen consort of France
- Anne Hyde, Duchess of York
- Ana de Mendoza, Princess of Eboli, Spanish aristocrat
- Anne Frank, A Dutch girl who hid with her family from the Nazis
- Anne Hathaway, actress, or the wife of William Shakespeare
- Anna Mae Bullock/Tina Turner, American singer titled as "the Queen of Rock and Roll"
- Annie Nightingale, British radio broadcaster
- Annie Oakley, American sharpshooter
- Anita Pallenberg, Italian actress
Saint Anna
The form "Saint Anna" (Santa Ana in Spanish, sometimes Santana) is also used in names, for example for Antonio López de Santa Anna, a Mexican soldier-statesman.
- Saint Anne (or Santa Ana), known by tradition as the mother of The Virgin Mary, and grandmother of Jesus