Ana
Masculine · “Grace”
Ana is given to girls far more often — 111,359 girls against 601 boys since 1880. See Ana as a girl name
Ana is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Anna, 'grace', and it has been an American name since records began, steady and widely loved. Two Anas of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries defied kings: a one-eyed Spanish princess and an African queen.
How old is the name Ana?
Ana first appears in US birth records in 1930 — 95 years ago. The typical Ana alive today was born around 1987, making them about 38 years old. About 600 people named Ana are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ana most popular?
Ana peaked in 1990, reaching #1946 nationally. See the whole 1990 chart.
Where it comes from
From Hannah to Ana
The story of Ana
Ana de Mendoza, Princess of Eboli, lost an eye as a girl and wore a patch; she became one of the most powerful figures at the court of Philip II of Spain until, in 1579, he had her arrested over a political intrigue, and she spent the rest of her life confined in her palace at Pastrana. In Angola, Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba negotiated with the Portuguese, was baptized as Ana de Sousa, and then fought them for decades to keep her kingdoms free. Ana is recorded almost entirely for girls.
Meaning
Grace
From Hebrew Hannah, 'grace, favor', through Greek and Latin Anna.
How the name formed
- Hannah
- Anna
- Ana
Related forms: Ana · Ana · Anna · Hannah
Pronouncing Ana
AH-nuh
Two syllables with the stress on the first; some English speakers say AN-uh.
Nicknames for Ana
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1930
- Most boys named
- 199039 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1946reached in 1990
- Change vs 2019
- −16.7%5 in 2023, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Ana in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ana in Spanish — same name
- Ana in Portuguese — same name
- Anna in English — same name
- Hannah in Hebrew — related form
Anas among us
people named Ana are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Ana sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Short, simple and used across many languages.
- A settled, lovely meaning.
- A long American history.
- People will write Anna.
- The pronunciation varies between AH-nuh and AN-uh.
- It is common enough that an Ana may share her name at school.
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Ana
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Anas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Ana are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Ana in 2025?
- Ana is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Ana with classmates?
- Ana will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More A names
The most-given names starting with A, all years combined.
Anthony#46 · Andrew#73 · Alexander#30 · Aaron#80 · Adam#101 · Arthur#87 · Albert#614 · Austin#113
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ana? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Ana and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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