Anai
Feminine
Anai stands between Hebrew Anaiah and Spanish Anahí, and the second belongs to a Guaraní legend about a woman who became a flower.
How old is the name Anai?
Anai first appears in US birth records in 1984 — 41 years ago. The typical Anai alive today was born around 2004, making them about 21 years old. About 2,300 people named Anai are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Anai most popular?
Anai peaked in 2001, reaching #1378 nationally. Today it ranks #4661, 3,283 places below that high. See the whole 2001 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Anai
Ours, offered as ours. The Anahí story is told in Argentina and Paraguay: a Guaraní woman captured after resisting the Spanish is burned, and where she dies the ceibo tree grows with deep red flowers. The ceibo is the national flower of Argentina. Whether the name is genuinely Guaraní or a later literary creation is disputed by people who study the language, but the story is firmly held.
Meaningscholars disagree
Not established
Hebrew Anayah means the Lord has answered. Spanish Anahí is associated with a Guaraní story and is often glossed as a flower, though the linguistic basis is not documented. Anai in American records may follow either.
Pronouncing Anai
ah-nah-EE
Three syllables with the stress on the last. English speakers say uh-NY.
Nicknames for Anai
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
- 1984
- Most girls named
- 2005139 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1378reached in 2001
- Change vs 2024
- +31.8%29 in 2025, from 22
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.
Anai in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Anahí in Spanish — related form
- Anayah in Hebrew — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas.
Anais among us
people named Anai are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 55,423 born in 2025 was named Anai
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Italia test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Anai's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Italia climbed just as high around 1917, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Italia's path sketches the road Anai is walking now.
Anai sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Anai is headed
Anai should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Anai beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Anai in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Ana is a complete name in its own right sitting inside it.
- Four letters and two or three syllables, quick to write.
- A genuinely striking legend stands behind one reading.
- The syllable count and stress differ between Spanish and English.
- The two possible sources are entirely unrelated.
- Anai, Anahi and Anaya are all in use and get confused.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Anai to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Anai? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Anai
Feminine · #4661 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Anais are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,300 people named Anai are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Anai in 2025?
- Anai ranks #4661 among US girl names in 2025, with 29 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Anai?
- About 1 in every 55,423 US girls born in 2025 was named Anai — 29 in all.
- Will my child share the name Anai with classmates?
- Anai will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Anai
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Ellenor#4661 · Roselie#4661 · Marni#4661 · Menucha#4661 · Infinity#4661 · Lilya#4661 · Railyn#4661 · Zada#4661
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Anai? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Anai and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle