# Ann (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/ann/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | “anna”, “hannah”, “grace”, “gracious”, “graced with child” |
| Pronunciation | /æn/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | Annie, Nan |
| Variant spellings | Anne |
| US babies named this | 471,625 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,364 / 470,261 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 879, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Late Latin Anna chiefly in reference to St Anne the apocryphal mother of Mary mother of Jesus but appearing in the Vulgate in reference to Anna the Prophetess, from Koine Greek Ἄννα (Ánna, “Anna”) in the New Testament, from Hebrew חַנָּה (Ḥannâ, “Hannah”), from חַנָּה (ḥannâ, “grace, gracious, graced with child”). Occasionally reborrowed from languages who adopted the name from English. Very infrequently from Estonian abbreviation of Anna instead. Doublet of Ana, Anna, Anne, and Hannah.

## What it means

Ann is grouped under grace.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 256 | 992 |
| 2012 | 268 | 949 |
| 2013 | 280 | 912 |
| 2014 | 286 | 946 |
| 2015 | 307 | 898 |
| 2016 | 265 | 996 |
| 2017 | 257 | 1,009 |
| 2018 | 269 | 982 |
| 2019 | 264 | 979 |
| 2020 | 221 | 1,105 |
| 2021 | 224 | 1,103 |
| 2022 | 227 | 1,100 |
| 2023 | 231 | 1,073 |
| 2024 | 213 | 1,135 |
| 2025 | 225 | 1,076 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 11 | 3,128 |
| 1975 | 11 | 3,256 |
| 1976 | 14 | 2,828 |
| 1977 | 8 | 4,188 |
| 1978 | 9 | 3,871 |
| 1979 | 10 | 3,819 |
| 1980 | 7 | 4,960 |
| 1981 | 11 | 3,614 |
| 1982 | 9 | 4,248 |
| 1983 | 12 | 3,420 |
| 1984 | 6 | 5,597 |
| 1986 | 8 | 4,870 |
| 1988 | 6 | 6,464 |
| 1989 | 8 | 5,649 |
| 2004 | 6 | 10,026 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 32 | 1,067 |
| 2012 | 29 | 1,150 |
| 2013 | 24 | 1,360 |
| 2014 | 25 | 1,299 |
| 2015 | 23 | 1,405 |
| 2016 | 14 | 2,008 |
| 2017 | 18 | 1,681 |
| 2018 | 18 | 1,649 |
| 2019 | 24 | 1,316 |
| 2020 | 14 | 1,939 |
| 2021 | 23 | 1,351 |
| 2022 | 18 | 1,621 |
| 2023 | 18 | 1,640 |
| 2024 | 23 | 1,406 |
| 2025 | 14 | 2,006 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: آنَّا, آنّ, حَنَّة
- Armenian: Աննա
- Bulgarian: А́на, Ен
- Catalan: Anna, Aina
- Chinese: 安, 安娜
- Czech: Anna
- Danish: Anna
- Dutch: Anna, Anne
- Esperanto: Anno
- Estonian: Anna
- Finnish: Anna
- French: Anne
- Georgian: ანა
- German: Anna
- Greek: Άννα
- Hebrew: חַנָּה
- Hindi: एन
- Hungarian: Anna
- Icelandic: Anna
- Irish: Áine, Ánna

## People named Ann

- Ann Radcliffe, English author and pioneer of the Gothic novel (1764–1823)
- Ann Coulter, American author, political commentator
- Ann Blyth, American actress (1927–2026)
- Anne Bradstreet, Anglo-American poet (1612–1672)
- Penelope Ann Miller, American actress
- Deborah Ann Woll, American actress
- Ann Rutherford, Canadian-American actress
- Ann Sheridan, American actress (1915-1967)
- Lesley Ann Warren, American actress
- Elizabeth Ann Seton, first native-born American saint of the Roman Catholic Church (1774-1821)
- Ann Dowd, American actress
- Ann Harding, American actress (1902–1981)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.