The girl's name Anna \a(n)-na\ is pronounced AN-ah. It is of Hebrew origin. Latinate variant of Hannah. The name was borne by the sister of Dido, Queen of Carthage, in Virgil's "Aeneid". Biblical: a devout woman who saw the infant Jesus presented at the temple in Jerusalem. Though not strictly related, Anna has been used as an English version of the Irish Gaelic Aine. Anna is often used in combination with other names. Ballerina Anna Pavlova; tennis player Anna Kournikova.

ORIGIN
Hebrew

MEANING
Grace, charm

Derived from the Hebrew Channah which is a form of Hannah and the name of a New Testament prophetess who recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Also known for Saint Anne, the mother of The Virgin Mary and the patron of Quebec and Brittany. A royal name for an 18th century Russian empress who ruled from 1730 to 1740. In literature, the name of the title character in the novel "Anna Karenina" by Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Former model, actress, and sex symbol Anna Nicole Smith, born Vicki Lynn Marshall, also comes to mind. Used to form several name combinations such as Annabella, Annabeth, and Anna-Lisa.

VARIATIONS
Andreas Andrew

ALTERNATIVES
Ana

NICKNAMES
Anne Annie

FAMOUS Annas
Anna Paquin (actress) Anna Sewell (author) Anna Kournikova (Russian tennis player) Anna Pavlova (Russian gymnast) Anna Quindlen (journalist/novelist) "Anna and the King" (1999 film)

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