Alternatives to Anna

Depending on how you look at it, Abba is an African day name suitable for a daughter born on Tuesday or Thursday. Abena is the traditional name for Tuesday-born daughters, of which Abba is a nickname. But it is also a variation of Aba, meaning "born on Thursday."

Abra is soft, sensitive feminine form of Abraham that was the name of a soft, sensitive character in the John Steinbeck book and movie, "East of Eden." In the bible, Abra was a favorite of King Solomon and it was a popular name in seventeenth century England. Abra is also a West African name used for girls born on Tuesday. The magical 'abracadabra' is thought to have originated in the Aramaic language.

Ada is one of the classic baby names for girls that is suddenly super stylish again. A favorite at the end of the nineteenth century, Ada is an alternative to the over-popular Ava. Ada is also part of the trend toward simple, old-fashioned names beginning with a vowel, like Ivy and Ella.

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

More commonly seen here as Anya, this traditional yet unique Irish name belonged to the queen of the Munster fairies and is sprinkled throughout Irish folklore as an early Celtic goddess of summer and prosperity. One of the most popular baby names in Ireland, Aine's spelling and pronunciation might seem simple but could prove confusing in the U.S.

This beautiful Basque name is sitting just inside the Top 1000 with its more popular spelling, Ainhoa. Ainhoa is the name of the French town where a vision of the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared. The spelling Ainoa was only given to a few dozen baby girls in 2022.

The extra n makes it feel less like an feminization of Alan and more like a name unto itself. Alanna is more common in Puerto Rico than the original Alana.

A short form of Alexandra and Alice used everywhere from Russia to Spain. A fresh alternative to Allie.

An anagram of Mama, in tune with its Tamil meaning.

An alternative to Inaya or Anya, Anaya is still climbing the charts.

This simple unisex Vietnamese name has multiple possible meanings, including "hero", "petal", "brave", "bright", depending on the characters used to write it.

This pretty palindrome name is rarely heard in the US, but could make an interesting namesake for an aunt or grandma Ann. It's also a German diminutive form of Anna.

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.

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