Anatole
About Anatole
Anatole is one of the unique boys' names with an unusual-ish feel but an uncertain provenance, with a meaning related to sunrise and thus to fire. While it's Greek in origin, it is associated more closely with France. Anatole Kuragin is a dashing, roguish prince in Tolstoy's War and Peace.
Fewer than five baby boys were named Anatole in the US last year, making it a good choice if you're looking for a truly uncommon boy's name that has a solid history.
Pronounced AN-uh-tohl.
As of October 2026, Anatole ranked #12139 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #979 in 1889.
Editor's take: The name Anatole is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "from the east, rising sun".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | — | 0 | 0 |
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Anatole.
- Melchior
- Trevelyan
- Endellion
- Malvolio
- Endymion
- Sylvain
- Ambrosius
- Silvius
- Corentin
- Calixto
- Vasili
- Seraphim
- Cassander
- Pendragon
- Ambroise
- Wulfric
- Belvedere
- Marceau
- Cyprian
- Pericles
Anatole on lists
Famous Anatoles
- Anatole France (born François
Anatole Thibault), French poet and novelist; winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
- Anatole Paul Broyard
American literary critic
- Anatole Litvak (born Mikhail Anatol Litwak)
Ukrainian film director
- Anatole Novak
French cyclist
- Anatole de Monzie
French administrator, encyclopedist and politician
Anatole in pop culture
- Anatole Kuragin
character in Tolstoy's "War and Peace"
- Anatole
female character on TV's "Life with Derek"
- "Anatole
" book and animated series about a French mouse
- Anatole Leonard
character in anime "Robotech"
- Anatole Ngemba
character from "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
- Anatole Kuragin
character in "Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812"
- Anatole Garron
character in 1943 film "Phantom of the Opera"