Anna (given name)
Anna is a Latin form of the Ἅννα and the Hebrew name Hannah, meaning "favor" or "grace" or "beautiful". 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 is 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..
In the context of pre-Christian Europe, the name can be found in Virgil's Aeneid, where Anna appears as the sister of Dido advising her to keep Aeneas in her city.
Variant forms
Alternate forms of Anna, including spelling variants, short forms, diminutives and transliterations are:- Aina – Catalan, Latvian, Lithuanian, Hungarian
- Ana – Bulgarian, Croatian, English, Galician, Georgian, Hawaiian, Macedonian, Portuguese, Romanian, Serbian, Slovene, Spanish, Albanian
- حنا – Arabic
- ანა – Georgian
- Anaïs – Catalan, French, Provençal
- Anano – Georgian
- Anča – Slovak, Romanian
- Ance – Latvian
- Anci – Hungarian
- Ancsa – Hungarian
- Ane – Basque, Danish, Hawaiian
- Anechka – Russian
- Anelie – German
- Anella – Estonian
- Anelle – Estonian
- Anna – Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian, Polish, Russian
- Anete – Estonian, Latvian
- Anett – Estonian
- Anette – Danish, Estonian, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
- Ania – Ukrainian, Polish, Russian
- Anica – Croatian, Romanian, Serbian, Slovene, Spanish
- Anice – Scots
- Anicuta – Portuguese, Romanian
- Anika – Danish, Dutch, German
- Annika – Swedish, Finnish
- Anikó – Hungarian
- Anina – German
- Anissa – English
- Anisa – Albanian
- Anita – Estonian, Finnish, Latvian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, English, Polish
- Anitte – German
- Annychka – Ukrainian
- Anja – Danish, Finnish, German, Norwegian, Serbian, Slovene, Swedish
- Anka – Bulgarian, Czech, German, Croatian, Polish, Russian, Serbian
- Anke – Frisian, German
- Anne – Danish, English, Estonian, French, Swedish
- Anna – Armenian, Breton, Bulgarian, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Malayalam, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Slovakian, Swedish, Spanish
- 安娜 – Mandarin Chinese
- アンナ – Japanese
- 杏奈 – Japanese
- 안나 – Korean
- Annabel – Dutch
- Annaki – Greek
- Annamma – Malayalam
- Annchen – German
- Ann – Danish, Dutch, English, French, German
- Annechien - Dutch
- Anneka – English
- Anneke – Dutch
- Anneli – Estonian, Finnish, Swedish
- Annelie – Danish, German, Norwegian, Swedish
- Annella – Scots
- Annele – Latvian
- Annelle – French
- Annet – Dutch
- Annetta – Italian
- Annette – Danish, Dutch, French, Swedish
- Anni – Estonian, Finnish, German, Swedish
- Annick – Breton
- Annie – Dutch, English, French
- Anniina – Finnish
- Annija – Latvian
- Annika – Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, Latvian, Swedish
- Annike – Estonian
- Anniken – Norwegian
- Anniki – Estonian
- Annikki – Finnish
- Anniņa – Latvian
- Annio – Greek
- Annora – English
- Annouche – French
- Annoula – Greek
- Annu – Finnish
- Annus – Hungarian
- Annukka – Finnish
- Annushka – Russian
- Annuska – Hungarian
- Anona – English
- Anouk – Dutch, French
- Ans – Dutch
- Antje – Dutch, German
- Anu – Estonian, Finnish
- Anushka – Russian
- Anya – Russian
- Anyuta – Russian
- Asya – Russian
- Asenka – Russian
- Chana – Hebrew
- Chanah – Hebrew
- Channah – Hebrew
- Enye – Hebrew
- Ganna – Ukrainian
- Ganya – Ukrainian
- Gannusya – Ukrainian
- Hajna – Hungarian
- Hana ܚܐܢܐ – Assyrian Aramaic
- Hana – Czech, Slovak, Turkish
- Hania – Polish
- Hanna – Belarusian, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, Ge'ez, German, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish, Ukrainian
- Hannah – Hebrew, Arabic, English, Estonian, Swedish
- Hanne – German, Scandinavian
- Hannela – Estonian
- Hannele – Estonian, Finnish
- Hannelore – German
- Hena – Yiddish
- Henda – Yiddish
- Hendel – Yiddish
- Hene – Yiddish
- Henye – Yiddish
- Ona – Hebrew, Lithuanian, Finnish
- Onnee – Manx
- Panna – Hungarian
- Աննա – Armenian
- แอนนา - Thai language
Composite names including Anna and variants
- Áine – Irish version of Anna
- Anabel – English, Galician, Polish, Spanish
- Anabela – Portuguese
- Anabella – Spanish, English
- Anabelle – English
- Ana Laura - Spanish
- Analeigh – English
- Ana Luisa - Spanish, Portuguese
- Ana Maria – Portuguese
- Ana María – Spanish
- Anamaria – English
- Anamaría – Spanish
- Ana-Maria – Romanian
- Annabel – Catalan, Dutch, English, Estonian
- Anna-Bella – English, Swedish
- Annabella – English, German, Italian, Swedish
- Annabelle – English, French
- Annabeth – English
- Anna-Carin – Swedish
- Anna Greta - English, German, Swedish
- Anna-Greta – Swedish
- Anna Julia - English, German, Swedish
- Anna-Julia - Swedish
- Anna Laura - English, German, Swedish
- Anna-Laura - Swedish
- Annalee – English
- Annaleigh - English
- Annaline - English
- Annalyn - English
- Annalynne - English
- Annalyssa - English
- Anna Lisa - English, German, Swedish
- Anna-Lisa – Swedish
- Anna Louisa - English, German, Swedish
- Anna-Louisa - Swedish
- Anna Maria – English, German, Swedish, Catalan
- Anna-Maria – Estonian, Finnish, Polish, Swedish
- Annamaria – Italian
- Annamária – Hungarian
- Ann-Britt – Swedish
- Ann-Charlotte – Swedish
- Ann-Christin – Swedish
- Annegret – German
- Annelien – Dutch
- Annelies – Dutch, German
- Anneliese – Dutch, German
- Annelise – Danish
- Anneloes – Dutch
- Annemarie – Dutch, English, German
- Annemiek – Dutch
- Annemieke – Dutch
- Annesophie – German
- Ann-Kristin – Swedish
- Ann-Louise – Swedish
- Ann-Margret – Swedish
- Ann-Mari – Swedish
- Ann-Marie – Swedish
- Annmarie – English
- Ann-Sofi – Swedish
- Ann-Sofie – Swedish
- Ittianna – Malayalam
- Julianna - English, German
- Julianne - English, French
- Lauranna - English, German
- Lauranne - English, French
- Leann – English
- Leanna – English
- Leanne – English
- Leeann – English
- Lianna - English
- Liliana - Portuguese
- Lisann – Estonian
- Lisanna – Estonian
- Lisanne – Dutch, English, Estonian
- Luana – English
- Luann – English
- Luanna – English
- Luanne – English
- Lyanna – English, French, Greek, Latin
- Lyanne – English, French, Greek, Latin
- Marian – English, Estonian
- Mariana – Czech, Estonian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish
- Mariann – Estonian
- Mari-Ann – Estonian
- Mari-Anna – Estonian
- Marianna – English, Estonian, Finnish, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Russian, Slovakian
- Mari-Anne – Estonian
- Marianne – English, Danish, Estonian, French, German, Norwegian, Swedish
- Marijana – Croatian, Serbian, Slovene
- Marjaana – Estonian, Finnish
- Marjaane – Estonian
- Marjan – Dutch
- Marjana – Slovene, Ukrainian
- Maryann – English
- Maryanne – English
- Hanna-Liina – Estonian
- Pollyanna – English
- Rosanna – English, Italian, Portuguese
- Roseanne – English
- Ruthanne – English
- Saranna – English
People
- Anna, prophetess mentioned in the Gospel of Luke 2:36
- Anna Ahlström, Swedish teacher, principal, and school founder
- Anna Akhmanova, Russian cell biologist
- Anna Akhmatova, Russian poet
- Anna Anderson, Romanov impostor who claimed she was the Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia
- Anna of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
- Anne of Austria, Queen of Poland, Queen consort of Poland and Sweden, wife of Sigismund III Vasa
- Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain, Queen consort of Spain, wife of Philip II
- Anna Fisher Beiler, British-born American missionary, newspaper editor
- Anna Benaki-Psarouda, Greek politician
- Anna Bergendahl, Swedish singer
- Anna Farquhar Bergengren, American writer, editor
- Anna Bijns, Flemish writer, schoolteacher and nun
- Anna Blaman, Dutch writer and poet
- Anna Blässe, German footballer
- Anna Louisa Geertruida Bosboom-Toussaint, Dutch novelist
- Anna van der Breggen, Dutch racing cyclist
- Anna Mae Bullock, American singer, better known as Tina Turner
- Anna Caballero, American politician
- Anna Camp, American actress and singer
- Anna Chakvetadze, Russian tennis player
- Anna Chatterton, Canadian playwright
- Anna Chernenko, First Lady of the Soviet Union
- Anna Ciddor, Australian author and illustrator
- Anna Coble, American biophysicist
- Anna Diamantopoulou, Greek politician
- Anna Bowman Dodd, American writer
- Anna Dániel, Hungarian journalist
- Anna Peyre Dinnies, American writer
- Anna Drijver, Dutch actress and model
- Anna van Egmont, Dutch noble, first wife of William the Silent
- Anna Enquist, Dutch poet and novelist
- Anna Eriksson, Finnish singer
- Anna d'Este, Italian-born French princess
- Anna Faris, American actress
- Anna Gardner, American abolitionist, poet, teacher
- Anna Gunn, American actress
- Anna Haava, Estonian poet
- Anna Hazare, Indian social activist
- Anna of Hohenstaufen, Empress of Nicaea
- Anna Hopkins, Canadian actress
- Anna Iriyama, Japanese idol singer
- Anna Irwin Young, American mathematician
- Anna Jacobsen, Norwegian champion of Southern Sami language and culture
- Anna Kendrick, American film and stage actress
- Anna Khanum, Queen consort of Iran, wife of Safi I
- Anna Komnene, daughter of Byzantine Emperor Alexius I and writer of the Alexiad
- Anna Korakaki, Greek shooter
- Anna Kostanyan, Armenian politician
- Anna Kournikova, Russian tennis player
- Anna Lapushchenkova, Russian tennis player
- Anna Magnani, Italian actress
- Anna Margaret Collins, American singer-songwriter and actress
- Anna Massey, English actress
- Anna K. Mapp, American Chemist
- Anna McAllister, American historian
- Anna McGahan, Australian actress
- Anna McGarrigle, Canadian singer
- Anna McGurk, British murder victim
- Anna McMorrin, British politician
- Anna de' Medici, Archduchess of Austria, Italian noble, Austrian royal consort
- Anna Melyukova, Russian archaeologist
- Anna Mons, Dutch commoner who almost succeeded in marrying Tsar Peter the Great
- Anna Murashige, Japanese idol singer
- Anna Nagata, Japanese actress
- Anna Nanousi, Greek fashion model and television presenter
- Anna Neethling-Pohl, South African actress, performer and film producer
- Anna de Noailles, Romanian-French writer
- Anna Nordqvist, Swedish golfer
- Anna Notaras, Byzantine writer
- Anna Palaiologina, Byzantine princess
- Anna Paquin, Canadian-born New Zealand actress
- Anna Passey, English actress
- Anna Pavlova, prima ballerina
- Anna Pavlovna of Russia, Queen consort of the Netherlands, wife of William II
- Anna Polak, Dutch Jewish gymnast
- Anna Sophia Polak, Dutch Jewish feminist and author
- Anna Pollatou, Greek rhythmic gymnast
- Anna Porphyrogenita, Grand Princess consort of Kiev
- Anna Quayle, English actress
- Anna of Russia, Empress of Russia
- Anna Rutgers van der Loeff, Dutch writer of children's novels
- Anna Ruysch, Dutch flower painter
- Anna of Savoy, Byzantine Empress consort
- Anna of Saxony, German noble, second wife of William the Silent
- Anna Karolína Schmiedlová, Slovak tennis player
- Anna van Schurman, Dutch painter, engraver, poet, and scholar
- Anna Sedokova, Ukrainian singer, actress and television presenter
- Anna Segal, Australian Olympic freestyle skier, twice world champion
- Anna Seghers, German writer
- Anna Seile, Latvian politician
- Anna Semenovich, Russian singer, actress, model, and former ice dancer
- Anna Shulgina, Russian film and stage actress, singer and TV presenter
- Anna Skarbek, Australian businesswoman and former investment banker.
- Anna Smashnova, Belarus-born Israeli tennis player
- Anna Soubry, British politician
- Anna Synodinou, Greek actress and politician
- Anna Tatishvili, Georgian tennis player
- Anna Thynn, Marchioness of Bath, Hungarian actress and British noblewoman by marriage
- Anna of Trebizond, Empress of Trebizond
- Anna Augusta Truitt, American philanthropist, reformer, essayist
- Anna Tsygankova, Russian ballet dancer
- Anna Turley, British politician
- Anna of Tyrol, Holy Roman Empress
- Anna van der Vegt, Dutch gymnast
- Anna Verouli, Greek javelin thrower
- Anna Vignoles, British educationalist
- Anna Villani, Italian marathon runner
- Anna Visscher, Dutch artist, poet, and translator
- Anna Vissi, Greek-Cypriot singer
- Anna de Waal, Dutch politician, Secretary of Education
- Anna Cabot Lowell Quincy Waterston, American writer
- Anna Weber-van Bosse, Dutch phycologist
- Ann Wilkins, American missionary teacher
- Anna Wintour British-American fashion journalist and editor-in-chief of the magazine Vogue
- Anna Wise, American singer
- Anna Woltz, Dutch writer
- Anna Wood , Dutch-born Australian sprint canoeist
- Anna Zak, Israeli singer
- Anna of East Anglia, king of East Anglia
Fictional use
- Anna De Souza, a character in ITV soap opera Emmerdale
- Anna Lightwood, a protagonist from the upcoming series The Last Hours, part of The Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare
- Anna, an alternate name for Morgause of Arthurian legend
- Anna Perenna, the sister of Dido in Roman mythology and later literature
- Anna Karenina is a main character in a novel written by Leo Tolstoy of the same name
- Anna, Princess of Arendelle and the protagonist of Disney's movie Frozen
- Anna Kakuzawa, a character in the Elfen Leid manga series
- Anna Schmidt, a character in Mind Your Language
- Anna Williams, a character in the Tekken video game series
- Anna Windass, a character in ITV soap opera Coronation Street