Anika

Sweet but spiky, Anika is a multicultural choice with broad appeal. Familiar in the UK, Czechia, Poland, and the US, it is in the Top 100 in Slovenia. It is additionally popular in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and the Netherlands.

From its Dutch, German, Slovene, Polish, Danish, and English roots, Anika is a diminutive of Anne or Ana, lending it the meaning "grace" or "gracious". Pronounced as AH-nee-kah in Dutch and German, A-nee-kah in Slovene, and as ANN-ih-kuh, AHN-ih-kuh, or ONN-ih-kuh in English, it could work across multiple languages, though the exact pronunciation might need prompting sometimes. An alternative spelling is Annika, the ore popular choice in Estonia

From its Hindi and Sanskrit roots, it can mean "army, troops" and "splendour" and would likely be pronounced as uh-nee-kah, without emphasis on any of the syllables. Additionally, the name is used as a Hawaiian form of Anita (said a-NI-ka, and another variation of Anne); a Japanese name meaning "second, Asia + new + song" (said AH-NEE-KAH); and a spelling variant of the Arabic Aniqah, meaning "stylish, neat".

Pronounced AH-ni-kuh.

As of October 2026, Anika ranked #955 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #478 in 2004.