Hannah's International Versions

Anna has become the dominant form of the Ann family, offering a touch of the international to English speakers and a bit more style than the oversimplified Ann or Anne.

This is a charming name that rose steeply along with other-belle names, such as Isabelle, until the horror film Annabelle and its sequels knocked it out of favor. Made famous by the Edgar Allen Poe poem Annabel Lee. Annabelle is saucy and stylish, a tad upscale, has a sense of humor, is melodious and lively, but is unfortunately off its peak.

The name of the sainted mother of the Virgin Mary was among the top girls’ names for centuries, in both the original English Ann spelling and the French Anne. Both left the Top 100 around 1970 but Anne is still among the most classic names for girls, although others are more likely to choose the original Hannah, the Anna variation, or even Annabel or Annabella.

Annika is a surprise hit of recent years, inspired by golfer Sorenstam; for Trekkies, it was also the name of a 'Star Trek:Voyager' character. Some people's first memory of it might be as Pippi Longstocking's friend. A nice namesake for an ancestral Ann.

Confident and compact, Ana is a widely used variation of the Biblical Hannah. Favored in Spain, Slovenia, Bosnia, Portugal, and Croatia, this shorter spelling has the same substance and versatility of its longer counterparts.

Once a Top 100 name, this Spanish diminutive of Ana still retains some of her Latin flair. A notable namesake is noted attorney Anita Hill, another is the great jazz singer Anita O'Day. Plus there's Disney cred via the lead human character in 101 Dalmatians.

Anike is an attractive name with ties to several cultures, both African and Scandinavian. The African pronunciation emphasizes the second syllable while the Nordic one emphasizes the first. While there will be inevitable confusion over pronunciation, either form is "correct".

Annette is a French diminutive of Ann which was among the first wave of widely-used girls' names from France, now neglected for so long that it's almost starting to feel stylish again.

Anja is one of the most international of several versions of Ann/Anna now being imported, also including Anya and Annika.

A sweet name with many cross-cultural ties: it's an equivalent of Jane in languages including Czech, Slovak, Dutch, German, Slovene, Catalan, Estonian, and Latvian.

A bright-sounding name with multicultural appeal, used regularly as a first name in Japan, Scandinavia, Latvia, and Spain.

This spin on the popular Hannah is widely-used in Europe and pronounced similarly to Hannah. It may also be a short form of Johanne, from John/Joan.

One of those names with a wide array of meanings across different cultures; it's the Lithuanian form of Anna, for instance, and William Blake used it as the name of one of his mysterious, godlike characters. But it's found major popularity in Spain, where it's just outside the Top 50. It makes the Top 10 in Catalonia, being both a diminutive of Mariona and the word for "wave".

This simplified version is not nearly as popular as the original (it also destroys a perfectly good palindrome), and has been on the decline in recent years.

Ane is a feminine name of Nordic origin, particularly common in Denmark and Norway. It is a variation of Anna, which derives from the Hebrew name Hannah, meaning 'grace' or 'favor.' In Scandinavian countries, Ane has been used for centuries, often appearing in historical records dating back to medieval times. The name has a simple, elegant quality with its short pronunciation and has maintained steady usage without becoming overly popular. In modern times, Ane appeals to parents looking for a traditional name with Nordic roots that is brief and easy to pronounce across languages.

Annabella is one of a constellation of names that include Anabella, Annabelle, Annabel, Anabel, Annabelle, and Annabell -- all lovely names that have suffered from their association with the eponymous horror movie. Annabella fell off the US Top 1000 in 2021, and ironically, the only version of the name that hangs on in the Top 1000 is Annabelle, the spelling used in the movie.

This very unusual name, also related to Hannah, was chosen for his daughter by Vin Diesel.

Panna is a name with many allusions — in addition to being a Hungarian variant of Anna (PAWN-naw) and a Hindi gemstone name (PAHN-nah), it is also a serene and sacred city in India and the Italian word for cream (PA-nuh). Panna might make a fresh alternative to Anna or Hannah.

Diminutive form of Anna, pronounced "ah-nee-tsa" in Slovene, Croatian and Serbian and like Annika in Romanian.

A multicultural mini name with roots in three continents.