Anna
Say it: AN-a/ˈænə/
GirlMeans grace, favour4 letters2 syllables
#26
in Ireland (2025)
#27 with spellings combined
143
babies in 2025
#12
best rank (2013)
12,102
babies since 1964
Down 13
10-year rank change
Anna through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 143 | #27 |
| 2024 | 140 | #29 |
| 2023 | 166 | #24 |
| 2022 | 186 | #25 |
| 2021 | 209 | #21 |
| 2020 | 237 | #16 |
| 2019 | 217 | #19 |
| 2018 | 285 | #12 |
| 2017 | 293 | #12 |
| 2016 | 288 | #17 |
| 2015 | 297 | #14 |
| 2014 | 314 | #16 |
| 2013 | 352 | #12 |
| 2012 | 296 | #22 |
| 2011 | 348 | #18 |
| 2010 | 378 | #13 |
| 2009 | 357 | #16 |
| 2008 | 342 | #20 |
| 2007 | 316 | #20 |
| 2006 | 320 | #21 |
| 2005 | 290 | #21 |
| 2004 | 245 | #26 |
| 2003 | 265 | #22 |
| 2002 | 247 | #21 |
| 2001 | 232 | #26 |
| 2000 | 193 | #28 |
| 1999 | 171 | #28 |
| 1998 | 133 | #33 |
| 1997 | 153 | #39 |
| 1996 | 141 | #43 |
| 1995 | 128 | #47 |
| 1994 | 120 | #49 |
| 1993 | 105 | #57 |
| 1992 | 90 | #69 |
| 1991 | 110 | #62 |
| 1990 | 103 | #66 |
| 1989 | 122 | #59 |
| 1988 | 107 | #69 |
| 1987 | 109 | #71 |
| 1986 | 130 | #61 |
| 1985 | 110 | #72 |
| 1984 | 135 | #65 |
| 1983 | 117 | #72 |
| 1982 | 142 | #65 |
| 1981 | 138 | #64 |
| 1980 | 131 | #70 |
| 1979 | 140 | #66 |
| 1978 | 129 | #67 |
| 1977 | 125 | #72 |
| 1976 | 128 | #69 |
| 1975 | 135 | #67 |
| 1974 | 142 | #63 |
| 1973 | 140 | #64 |
| 1972 | 148 | #55 |
| 1971 | 164 | #52 |
| 1970 | 153 | #58 |
| 1969 | 177 | #48 |
| 1968 | 172 | #42 |
| 1967 | 197 | #35 |
| 1966 | 202 | #36 |
| 1965 | 285 | #30 |
| 1964 | 214 | #34 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Anna mean?
Grace, favour
The Greek and Latin form of the Hebrew Hannah (grace, favour).
Say it right
ANa
The story of Anna
Anna is the Greek and Latin form of the Hebrew Hannah, from a root meaning “favour” or “grace”. In the Bible it is used for Hannah, the mother of Samuel, and for Anna the prophetess, who greets the infant Jesus in the Temple in Luke’s Gospel. Anne and Ann come from the same source.
The name spread across Europe through devotion to Saint Anne, named in early Christian writings as the mother of Mary. In Ireland it is also remembered through Anna Parnell, who led the Ladies’ Land League in the 1880s.
Anna has been given steadily in Ireland throughout the CSO records, always inside the top 75. Its highest count came in 2010 with 378 girls, and its best rank was number 12 in 2013. It is well liked in Northern Ireland too, where it reached 4th in 2016. In 2025 it was number 26 in the CSO’s table.
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Sources
- Wiktionary: Anna (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Anna (name)
- Wikipedia: Saint Anne
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, Baby Names in Northern Ireland, full name list 1997-2025
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Anna | 143 | 12,102 |
In Northern Ireland
#11 in 2025 with 77 babies. Best rank #4 (2016); 3,845 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.