Annel
Feminine · “favor”
Hannah asks for a child and promises to give him back. The first book of Samuel opens with her praying so intensely at the shrine that the priest assumes she is drunk, and the son she is granted is handed over to the sanctuary as a small boy. Every Anne, Ana, Anica and Annel in Europe descends from her name, which means favor.
How old is the name Annel?
Annel first appears in US birth records in 1964 — 61 years ago. The typical Annel alive today was born around 1997, making them about 28 years old. About 500 people named Annel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Annel most popular?
Annel peaked in 1998, reaching #4142 nationally. Today it ranks #14942, 10,800 places below that high. See the whole 1998 chart.
Where it comes from
From Channah to Annel
The story of Annel
Hannah's story gave the name its weight and the Greek translators gave it its shape; Anna then became one of the base names of the entire continent. Spanish-speaking American naming has a productive habit of adding -el and -bel endings to short bases, which produces names that sound complete and are new. Annel appears in American records from 1964 and peaked in 1998, and it belongs to that habit rather than to any older Spanish tradition.
Meaning
favor, grace
From the Hebrew Channah, favor or grace, through the Greek Anna. The -el ending on this spelling is a Spanish-American addition and carries no meaning of its own; it belongs to the same habit that produces Maribel, Anahi and Yaritzel.
How the name formed
- Channah
- Anna
- Annel
Related forms: Channah · Anabel
Pronouncing Annel
ah-NEL
Two syllables with the stress at the back, following Spanish. English readers usually say AN-el with the weight in front; both are heard in the households that use it.
Nicknames for Annel
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
- 1964
- Most girls named
- 200431 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #4142reached in 1998
- Change vs 2021
- −37.5%5 in 2025, from 8
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.
Annel in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Channah in Hebrew — related form
- Anabel in Spanish — related form
Annels among us
people named Annel are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 321,453 born in 2025 was named Annel
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Annel
- #14942
- Annel on the 2025 chart
- #948
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Annel went to 5 girls in 2025, but Anel is the same name said out loud. Together the 2 spellings went to 12, which makes it the 948th most-given girls’ name of the year — 13,994 places above the chart.
- Anel7
- Annel5
About 1 girl in 133,939 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 321,453 for Annel itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Marija test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Annel's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Marija climbed just as high around 1975, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Marija's path sketches the road Annel is walking now.
Annel 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
Annel beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Annel in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Anne and Nel are both complete standing names, so it shortens two ways.
- The base name behind it has the longest documented history of almost any women's name.
- Five letters, two syllables, and readable on sight in either language.
- Anel, Annell and Anell all appear, so the spelling has to be given.
- The stress falls differently in Spanish and English use.
- It is often assumed to be a misspelling of Anne, which it is not.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Annel
Feminine · #14942 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Annels are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Annel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Annel?
- Annel is one of 2 recorded spellings. Anel is the more common one — 7 births in 2025 against 5 for Annel.
- How popular is the name Annel in 2025?
- Annel ranks #14942 among US girl names in 2025, with 5 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Annel?
- About 1 in every 321,453 US girls born in 2025 was named Annel — 5 in all.
- Will my child share the name Annel with classmates?
- Annel will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Annel
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Hester#14942 · Lyda#14942 · Zula#14942 · Zona#14942 · Ula#14942 · Belva#14942 · Lucetta#14942 · Leala#14942
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Annel? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Annel and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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