NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Anah

A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "answer" or "responsive".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2021. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Anah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Anah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2021 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3961, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2014, with 14 births.

This profile covers 168 England and Wales registrations across 24 recorded years from 1996 to 2021. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 36% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 167 living people in the UK are called Anah. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2022 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Anah ranked #3961 for girls in England and Wales in 2021, with 5 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2014, when 14 girls were registered as Anah.
  • About 167 living people in the UK are estimated to have Anah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#3961

2021

Births in 2021

5

Latest year

Peak year

2014

14 births

Estimated living

167

2026

Meaning

What does Anah mean?

The name Anah has its origins in ancient Hebrew, traced back to the Bible's Book of Genesis. It is derived from the Hebrew word "anah," which means "to answer" or "to respond." The name first appears in the biblical narrative as the name of one of the daughters of Zibeon the Hivite, who married Esau, the son of Isaac and Rebekah.

While the name Anah is not widely popular across cultures and time periods, it has been recorded in various historical and religious texts. In addition to its biblical roots, the name appears in the Jewish Talmud, where it is mentioned as the name of a female character.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Anah can be found in the ancient Sumerian city of Uruk, located in present-day Iraq. Archaeological evidence suggests that a woman named Anah lived in Uruk around 2500 BCE, during the Early Dynastic period of Mesopotamia.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Anah. One of the most famous was Anah bint al-Hakam al-Kinaniyah, a prominent Arab poetess who lived in the 6th century CE. She is renowned for her poetry and her influence on early Islamic literature.

Another historical figure named Anah was Anah bint Zayd ibn al-Khattab, a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the sister of Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate. She lived in the 7th century CE and is remembered for her piety and devotion to Islam.

In the realm of literature, Anah was the name of a character in the 19th-century novel "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Anah was a member of the Puritan community in the novel, which explores themes of sin, guilt, and redemption in colonial New England.

Anah was also the name of a prominent figure in the women's suffrage movement in the United States. Anah Truitt Semans (1835-1920) was a leader of the Women's Christian Temperance Union and played a crucial role in advocating for women's rights, including the right to vote.

Lastly, Anah is the name of a character in the fantasy novel series "The Wheel of Time" by Robert Jordan. In the books, Anah is a legendary figure from the Age of Legends, renowned for her skills as a healer and her contributions to the study of the One Power.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Anah over time

The chart below shows babies named Anah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2021. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Anah, the clearest high point is 2014. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2021, compared with 14 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Anah
0471114199620082021

Decades

Anah by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Anah was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #3704 11 2
2010s #2544 101 10
2000s #3697 41 9
1990s #2757 15 3

Related

Names similar to Anah

FAQ

Anah: questions and answers

How popular is the name Anah in the UK right now?

In 2021, Anah was ranked #3961 for girls in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.

When was Anah most popular?

The peak year on record was 2014, with 14 babies registered as Anah in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Anah?

A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "answer" or "responsive".

How many people are called Anah in the UK?

A total of 168 babies have been registered as Anah across the 24 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.