Anais
Anais was the 892nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 299 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 825th with 337 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 146 places. More babies were named Anais in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning French form linked to Anne (origin uncertain) · French, Hebrew
Say it ah-nah-EES /ɑnɑˈis/
- Rank in 2025
- #892 girls, up 15 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 299girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2021337 babies
- Total since 1880
- 9,331babies recorded
What does the name Anais mean?
Anaïs is a French name, used in southern France, that is usually explained as a Provençal or Catalan form of Anna (Anne), from Hebrew Ḥannah 'favor, grace'. Some writers instead connect it with Anaitis, a Greek form of the Persian goddess Anahita; that link is not established. The writer Anaïs Nin made the name known in English. In the US it is used both by French- and Spanish-speaking families.
חַנָּה (Ḥannah) (Hebrew, “favor, grace”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. The derivation from Anne is the usual explanation but is not documented in a scholarly source we could check.
Other explanations you may read: From the goddess Anahita (Anaitis).
Pronunciation: French Anaïs has three syllables (ah-nah-EES); some Americans say uh-NAY-iss.
Related names: Anaïs, Anna, Anne, Anaya.
See also: French names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Anne', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Anais popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 118 since 1985, 11 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #892 | 299 |
| 2020 | #907 | 289 |
| 2010 | #1,292 | 184 |
| 2000 | #1,127 | 181 |
| 1990 | #1,154 | 149 |
| 1980 | #10,460 | 5 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Anais, counting every spelling?
Anais is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #814 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #892 for Anais on its own. Together these spellings went to 333 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anais | 299 | #892 | 1,601 |
| Anaise | 16 | #6,857 | 97 |
| Annais | 11 | #8,920 | 45 |
| Anaiz | 7 | #12,022 | 34 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Anais?
299 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Anais (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Anais born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 28 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Anais.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Anais?
About 9,100 people born in the US named Anais are alive today, with a median age of 18; half are between 8 and 28. That makes Anais mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Anais by state
How common Anais was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Nevada (2.3×), Arizona (2.0×), Florida (1.8×), Massachusetts (1.7×), New York (1.7×). In 25 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Anais: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Anais, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Anais · Sibling names for Anais
Questions about the name Anais
What does Anais mean?
Anais is usually explained as “French form linked to Anne (origin uncertain)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Anais?
Anais was the 892nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 299 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 825th with 337 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 146 places. More babies were named Anais in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Anais a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Anais in the US.
Where is Anais most popular?
In 2021–2025, Anais was most common in Nevada (0.45 per 1,000 girls), followed by Arizona and Florida.