Annica
Feminine · “favor”
Swedish does not write this name with a c. Annika is the standard spelling there and in Finland, because Swedish uses k for the hard sound and reserves c for borrowings — so a c in this position marks the name as having passed through English hands. Annica is the American spelling of a Scandinavian name, and the single letter records the crossing.
How old is the name Annica?
Annica first appears in US birth records in 1972 — 53 years ago. The typical Annica alive today was born around 2003, making them about 22 years old. About 600 people named Annica are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Annica most popular?
Annica peaked in 2007, reaching #4131 nationally. Today it ranks #14942, 10,811 places below that high. See the whole 2007 chart.
Where it comes from
From Channah to Annica
The story of Annica
Annika became a genuinely popular Swedish name in the twentieth century, helped considerably by a character in a series of children's books read by more or less every Swedish child. It traveled from there into Germany, the Netherlands and the English-speaking world. English readers meeting it wrote it with a c about as often as with a k, since English uses both letters for the sound and has no rule about which. Annica appears in American records from 1972 and has stayed rare.
Meaning
favor, grace
The meaning belongs to Anna, from the Greek form of the Hebrew Channah. The -ika ending is a Scandinavian and Central European diminutive that adds affection rather than sense, and it produced a name independent enough to be given at birth rather than used at home.
How the name formed
- Channah
- Anna
- Annika
- Annica
Related forms: Annika · Annikki · Annika · Anneke
Pronouncing Annica
AN-ih-kuh
Three syllables, stress on the first — Swedish stresses the first syllable and so does the American version. The c is said as a k, exactly as the Swedish spelling writes it.
Nicknames for Annica
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
- 1972
- Most girls named
- 200737 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #4131reached in 2007
- Change vs 2024
- −28.6%5 in 2025, from 7
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.
Annica in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Annika in Swedish — same name
- Annikki in Finnish — related form
- Annika in German — same name
- Anneke in Dutch — related form
Annicas among us
people named Annica are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 321,453 born in 2025 was named Annica
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Annica
- #14942
- Annica on the 2025 chart
- #497
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Annica went to 5 girls in 2025, but Anika, Annika and Aanika and the rest below are the same name said out loud. Together the 5 spellings went to 539, which makes it the 497th most-given girls’ name of the year — 14,445 places above the chart.
About 1 girl in 2,982 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 321,453 for Annica 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 Cristan test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Annica's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Cristan climbed just as high around 1985, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Cristan's path sketches the road Annica is walking now.
Annica 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
Annica beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Annica in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Anna is available immediately and needs no explanation anywhere.
- The Scandinavian name behind it is genuinely standard rather than an invention.
- Six letters, three light syllables, and easy in any accent.
- Annika is the standard spelling everywhere the name is native, and relatives abroad will use it.
- Anica, Annika and Anneka all sit close by and will be written instead.
- The c reads as an error to anyone who knows the Swedish name.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Annica 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 Annica? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Annica
Feminine · #14942 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Annicas 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 Annica are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Annica?
- Annica is one of 5 recorded spellings. Anika is the more common one — 269 births in 2025 against 5 for Annica.
- How popular is the name Annica in 2025?
- Annica ranks #14942 among US girl names in 2025, with 5 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Annica?
- About 1 in every 321,453 US girls born in 2025 was named Annica — 5 in all.
- Will my child share the name Annica with classmates?
- Annica will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Annica
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 Annica? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Annica 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