UK girl's name
Anneke
A diminutive form of the feminine name Anna, derived from the Hebrew name Hannah meaning "grace" or "favor".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2018. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Anneke is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Anneke popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2018 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4684, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1997, with 5 births.
This profile covers 27 England and Wales registrations across 7 recorded years from 1997 to 2018. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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 80% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 30 living people in the UK are called Anneke. 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 2019 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Anneke ranked #4684 for girls in England and Wales in 2018, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1997, when 5 girls were registered as Anneke.
- • Anneke ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #793 in 2008.
- • About 30 living people in the UK are estimated to have Anneke as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4684
2018
Births in 2018
4
Latest year
Peak year
1997
5 births
Estimated living
30
2026
Meaning
What does Anneke mean?
The name Anneke is a diminutive form of the Dutch name Anna, which is derived from the Hebrew name Hannah. The name Hannah means "grace" or "favor" in Hebrew. Anneke is a common name in the Netherlands and other Dutch-speaking regions.
The earliest recorded use of the name Anneke dates back to the 16th century in the Netherlands. It was a popular name among Dutch Protestants during the Protestant Reformation. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Anneke Jans van Rotterdam, a Dutch woman who lived in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name Anneke was brought to the New World by Dutch settlers who colonized parts of what is now New York and New Jersey. One notable bearer of the name was Anneke Jans Bogardus, who was born in 1605 in the Dutch Republic and later emigrated to New Amsterdam (now New York City) with her husband, Reverend Everardus Bogardus.
Another historical figure with the name Anneke was Anneke Lysles, a Dutch woman who was one of the first European settlers in the area that is now Albany, New York. She was born in the early 17th century and is known for her role in the establishment of the Dutch colony of Rensselaerswyck.
In the 18th century, the name Anneke was still popular among Dutch communities in the Netherlands and Dutch colonies. One notable bearer was Anneke Cammenga, a Dutch writer and poet who lived from 1730 to 1789.
In the 19th century, the name Anneke gained some popularity outside of Dutch-speaking areas, particularly in Germany and other parts of Europe. One famous bearer of the name was Anneke Beekman, a Dutch-American woman who lived from 1807 to 1881 and was known for her philanthropic work in New York City.
Throughout history, the name Anneke has been a beloved Dutch name, with its roots tracing back to the Hebrew name Hannah and its meaning of "grace" or "favor." While it has remained most popular in Dutch-speaking regions, the name has also been used in other parts of Europe and the New World, carried by notable historical figures and early settlers.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Anneke over time
The chart below shows babies named Anneke registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1997 to 2018. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Anneke, the clearest high point is 1997. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2018, compared with 5 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Anneke by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Anneke 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #5196 | 7 | 2 |
| 2000s | #4145 | 10 | 3 |
| 1990s | #2754 | 10 | 2 |
Geography
Where Anneke is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Anneke. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Anneke ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #793 in 2008.
Across the UK
Anneke in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#793 in 2008
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Anneke
-
Anneke Wills
actor; film actor
British actress
1941-
Related
Names similar to Anneke
- Amelia 94,830
- Ava 54,556
- Amy 52,495
- Alice 46,815
- Abigail 45,658
- Amber 31,922
- Anna 27,802
- Alexandra 19,455
- Amelie 18,051
- Abbie 15,971
- Aimee 15,158
- Annabelle 15,120
FAQ
Anneke: questions and answers
How popular is the name Anneke in the UK right now?
In 2018, Anneke was ranked #4684 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Anneke most popular?
The peak year on record was 1997, with 5 babies registered as Anneke in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Anneke?
A diminutive form of the feminine name Anna, derived from the Hebrew name Hannah meaning "grace" or "favor".
How many people are called Anneke in the UK?
A total of 27 babies have been registered as Anneke across the 7 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Anneke most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Anneke ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #793 in 2008. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
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.