How popular is the baby name Anna in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, see baby names similar to Anna and check out all the blog posts that mention the name Anna.


Popularity of the Baby Name Anna

Number of Babies Named Anna

Born in the U.S. Since 1880

Posts that Mention the Name Anna

Baby Named for Slain Amish Schoolgirl

On the morning of October 2, 2006, a gunman took ten girls (aged 6 to 13) hostage in a one-room Amish schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. He shot the girls, killing five and wounding the other five, before committing suicide.

One of the victims was 7-year-old Naomi Rose Ebersol. Earlier during the incident — before the gunman had ordered the adult women and the boys to leave — Naomi had been comforted by a pregnant woman named Lydia Mae Zook:

[Lydia] reached over and patted the frightened child on the back.

“It’s going to be all right,” she assured the little girl.

On October 10, Lydia gave birth to her baby girl three weeks early. She named the baby Naomi Rose.

(The other little girls who lost their lives were named Anna, Lena, Marian, and Mary.)

Source: Dribben, Melissa. “In Amish survivor’s baby, hope lives “Shattered, but strong”: Woman who escaped death relates her story.” Philadelphia Inquirer 22 Oct. 2006.

Popular Baby Names in Switzerland, 2015



Girl Names Boy Names
1. Mia
2. Emma
3. Lara
4. Lena
5. Sofia
6. Mila
7. Anna
8. Elena
9. Laura
10. Lina
1. Noah
2. Liam
3. Luca
4. Gabriel
5. Leon
6. David
7. Matteo
8. Elias
9. Louis
10. Levin

In 2014 the top names were Emma and Noah.


Language Group Girl Names Boy Names
German speakers
(64% of Switzerland)
1. Mia
2. Emma
3. Lena
1. Leon
2. Noah
3. Luca
French speakers
1. Emma
2. Alice
3. Eva
1. Gabriel
2. Liam
3. Noah
Italian speakers
1. Sofia
2. Emma
3. Noemi
1. Leonardo
2. Alessandro
3. Liam
Romansh speakers
(less than 1%)
1. Alessia 1. Laurin


Popular Baby Names in Denmark, 2015



Girl Names Boy Names
1. Sofia, 555 baby girls
2. Freja, 459
3. Ella, 449
4. Alma, 445
5. Anna, 419
6. Emma, 415
7. Laura, 412
8. Clara, 398
9. Ida, 390
10. Isabella, 388
1. William, 591 baby boys
2. Noah, 543
3. Lucas, 534
4. Emil, 489
5. Oliver, 489
6. Oscar, 480
7. Victor, 478
8. Malthe, 455
9. Alfred, 425
10. Carl, 418





Here are Denmark’s 2014 rankings.


Popular Baby Names in Paris, 2015


Here are the country’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2015:

Girl Names Boy Names
1. Louise, 293 baby girls
2. Alice, 244
3. Chloé, 206
4. Emma, 178
5. Inès, 175
6. Sarah, 174
7. Jeanne, 173
8. Anna, 160
9. Adèle, 155
10. Juliette, 149
1. Adam, 355 baby boys (tie)
2. Gabriel, 355 (tie)
3. Raphaël, 320
4. Paul, 260
5. Louis, 256
6. Arthur, 245
7. Alexandre, 226
8. Victor, 208
9. Jules, 205
10. Mohamed, 185




  • 2015: 29 girls and 6 boys named Charlie in Paris
  • 2014: 71 girls and 35 boys named Charlie in Paris
  • 2013: 75 girls and 37 boys named Charlie in Paris


Uncommon Girl Names Uncommon Boy Names



Top Names in the Netherlands, Early 2016

According to the SVB, the top baby names in the Netherlands during the first half of 2016 (January to June) were Julia and Sem:

Girl Names Boy Names
1. Julia (326 baby girls, Jan. to June)
2. Sophie
3. Anna
4. Tess
5. Emma
1. Sem (330 baby boys, Jan. to June)
2. Noah
3. Daan
4. Milan
5. Max

The #1 baby names of 2015, Emma and Liam, aren’t doing too well so far this year.

Source: Sem and Julia top the list of most popular Dutch baby names

Popular Baby Names in Germany, 2015

According to data from the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (Association for German Language), the most popular baby names in Germany in 2015 were Mia and Jonas.


Girl Names Boy Names
1. Mia
2. Emma
3. Hanna/Hannah
4. Sophia/Sofia
5. Anna
6. Emilia
7. Mila
8. Lea/Leah
9. Lina
10. Lena
1. Jonas
2. Maximilian
3. Ben
4. Luca/Luka
5. Leon/Léon
6. Louis/Luis
7. Lukas/Lucas
8. Elias
9. Felix
10. Noah/Noa

In the girls’ top 10, Mila replaces Marie. In the boys’ top 10, Elias replaces Paul.

Hanna/Hannah and Luis/Louis were the #1 names (and Jonas was down in 7th) in 2014.

One interesting baby name bestowed in Germany in 2015 was “Gretchen Schneewittchen,” or “Gretchen Snow White,” discovered by name researcher Knud Bielefeld. It may have been inspired by Grimm World, the Brothers Grimm museum that opened in Kassel, Germany, in 2015.

Finally, did you know that about 1,000 new baby names are approved in Germany every year?

Sources: GfdS (2015), Germans turn to Star Wars for baby names

Good Advice for Choosing an English Name











  • Isabel, Katie, Mia, Sophia, Zoe
  • Aidan, Chase, Isaiah, Jack, Noah


  • Amy, Dana, Monica, Tina, Wendy
  • Chad, Dennis, Peter, Shane, Tony


  • Anna, Elizabeth, Michelle, Natalie, Sarah
  • Adam, David, John, Nathan, Victor


