Many later Old Testament translations, including the English, use the Hannah spelling instead of Anna. The name appears briefly in the New Testament belonging to a prophetess who recognized Jesus as the Messiah. It was a popular name in the Byzantine Empire from an early date, and in the Middle Ages it became common among Western Christians due to veneration of Saint Anna (usually known as Saint Anne in English), the name traditionally assigned to the mother of the Virgin Mary. In the English-speaking world, this form came into general use in the 18th century, joining Ann and Anne. The name was borne by several Russian royals, including an 18th-century empress of Russia. It was also the name of the main character in Leo Tolstoy's novel 'Anna Karenina' (1877), a woman forced to choose between her son and her lover. - quoted from Behind The Name entry
Anna has always been popular and in recent years it has ranked #35 in the USA, #1 in Austria, #2 in Hungary, #3 in Czech Republic and #5 in Norway. Other forms such as Annie, Anne, Ann and Ana are still super popular. In the Disney film Frozen one of the main characters is Princess Anna, sister of Queen Elsa and in the film her name is pronounced AHN-nah.
I've always liked the name Anna and I've known a few ladies and girls with this name. I once knew a sweet little girl with bright red hair and freckles named Anna and that helped me to really fall in love with it. I like the combo Anna Grace but that would really be like naming a girl "grace, grace". I also like Anna Joy, Anna Margaret, Anna Claire, Anna Ruth, Anna Ruby and Anna Felicity. I do really like the pronunciation AHN-nah but I usually think of that sound as more associated with the Ana spelling.
What do you think of the name Anna?
Do you know anyone with this name?
What other names would you pair it with?
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