Anne

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Anne

Gender: Feminine
Language: English, French
Etymology:
Anne is the French form of Hannah, a Hebrew name meaning “God Has Favored Me,” “Grace, Graceful,” or “Prayer.”

History:
Anne, though historically rather popular, was surpassed by Ann during the 19th century. With the publication of the popular Anne of Green Gables (1908) Anne briefly became more popular.
Please see Hannah for more information.

Pronunciation: ann.

Diminutives:
English: Annie, Anney, Anny, Nan, Nancy, Nanny.
French: Annette.

See also: Annette.

Famous Bearers:
Artists and Authors:
Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672)
British colonial poet.
Anne Catherine Hoof Green (1720-1775)
American printer.
Lady Anne Barnard (1750-1825)
British author.
Anne Newport Royall (1769-1854)
American journalist.
Anne Brontë (1820-1849)
British novelist.
Anne Barbara Ridler (1912-)
English poet.
Anne Hébert (1916-)
French-Canadian novelist.
Anne Sexton (1928-1974)
American poet.
Anne (Annelies Marie) Frank (1929-1945)
Jewish girl whose diary survived the Holocaust.
Anne Roiphe (1935-)
American novelist.
Anne Rice (1941-)
American novelist.
Anne Tyler (1941-)
American novelist.

Educators, Scholars, and Social Workers:
Anne Dacier (1654-1720)
French translator.
Anne Parrish (1760-1800)
American philanthropist.
Anne Sullivan Macy (1866-1936)
Helen Keller’s teacher. Originally named Joanna.
Anne Moody (1940-)
American civil rights activist.

Fictional Characters:
Anne Shirley (1910)
The plucky, red-headed orphan in L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables.

Miscellaneous:
Anne Hathaway (1556-1623)
Wife to William Shakespeare.

Other:
Queen Anne’s Lace
A flower also called Wild Carrot.

Places:
Mont Sainte-Anne
Quebec.
Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré
Quebec.

Political Figures:
Anne Hutchinson (1591-1643)
One of the co-founders of Rhode Island Colony.

Religious Figures:
St. Anne
Mother of the Virgin Mary.

Royalty:
Anne of France (1461-1522)
Daughter of Louis XI of France. Practically regent for her brother, King Charles VIII of France.
Anne of Brittany (French: Anne de Bretagne) (1477- 1514)
Duchess of Brittany, wife to Maximilian of Austria, Charles VIII of France, and Louis XII. She managed to keep Brittany autonomous.
Anne Boleyn (1507-1536)
Second wife of King Henry VIII of England. Mother to Queen Elizabeth I of England. She was executed after failing to bear a son and being falsely accused of adultly.
Anne of Cleves (1515-1557)
Fourth wife of King Henry VIII of England. Mother to Queen Elizabeth I of England. The marriage was annulled when Henry learned she wasn’t quite as handsome as her portrait.
Anne of Denmark (1574-1619)
Wife to King James I of Great Britain. She was something of a spender.
Anne of Austria (French: Anne D’Autriche) (1601- 1666)
Wife to King Louis XIII of France . Mother and regent to King Louis XIV.
Queen Anne of England (1665- 1745)
Last of the Stuart monarchs.

Singers and Entertainers:
Anne Bracegirdle (1671-1748)
English actress.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.228 % named Anne
0.125 % named Annette

Popularity of Anne:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1800: 83rd most popular.
1850: 78th most popular.
1875: 121st most popular.
1900-1910: 79th most popular.
1910-1920: 57th most popular.
1920-1930: 83rd most popular.
1930-1940: 90th most popular.
1940-1950: 86th most popular.
1950-1960: 83rd most popular.
1960-1970: 81st most popular.
1970-1980: 123rd most popular.
1980-1990: 130th most popular.
1990: 158th most popular.
1991: 183rd most popular.
1992: 185th most popular.
1993: 198th most popular.
1994: 206th most popular.
1995: 209th most popular.
1996: 219th most popular.
1997: 223rd most popular.
1998: 280th most popular.
1999: 290th most popular.
2000: 299th most popular.
2001: 310th most popular.
2002: 325th most popular.
2003: 385th most popular.

In France...
1900: 11th most popular.
1910: 16th most popular.
1920: 24th most popular.
1930: 29th most popular.
1940: 13th most popular.
1950: 25th most popular.
1960: 18th most popular.
1970: 16th most popular.
1980: 24th most popular.
1990: 61st most popular.
1999: 169th most popular.
2000: N/A

Quotes:

“When you hear a name pronounced, can’t you always see it in your mind, just as if it was printed out? I can; and A-n-n looks dreadful, but A-n-n-e looks so much more distinguised.”
— L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables (1908)

“’Annie’ is boisterous, where ‘Anne’ has style and dignity.”
— G.B. Stern, A Name to Conjure With