Anica
Anica was the 15133rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 5 babies. Its best year was 1975, when it ranked 2359th; the most babies were born in 2001 (39). Over the last ten years it has moved down 9,087 places. More babies were named Anica in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Anika) pet form of Anna (Annika) · German, Swedish, Hebrew
- Rank in 2025
- #15,133 girls, down 7,886 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 5girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 200139 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,102babies recorded
What does the name Anica mean?
Anica is a spelling of Anika, pronounced the same way, so it shares Anika's meaning and origin.
Anika is a German spelling of Annika, a Scandinavian and Low German pet form of Anna, as Wiktionary notes. Anna comes from Hebrew Ḥannah 'favor, grace'. The Swedish character Annika in the Pippi Longstocking books helped spread the name. In Indian families Anika is also used as an independent name, but we found no documented Sanskrit etymology for it.
Anna (Latin / Greek, “from Hebrew Ḥannah”)חַנָּה (Ḥannah) (Hebrew, “favor, grace”)
How sure is this? Well established. The Indian use may be independent; no documented etymology for that use.
Related names: Annika, Anna, Anneke, Annie.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean grace.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Anika' (German section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Annika', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Anne', DMNES (Durham University)
Anica popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #15,133 | 5 |
| 2020 | #7,247 | 15 |
| 2010 | #4,620 | 31 |
| 2000 | #4,411 | 27 |
| 1990 | #4,244 | 23 |
| 1980 | #3,323 | 25 |
| 1970 | #7,104 | 6 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Anica, counting every spelling?
Anica is a spelling of Anika, a name family that ranked #556 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #15,133 for Anica on its own. Together these spellings went to 539 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anika | 269 | #955 | 1,534 |
| Annika | 254 | #995 | 1,455 |
| Anica | 5 | #15,133 | 49 |
| Aanika | 6 | #13,212 | 46 |
| Annica | 5 | #15,153 | 28 |
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 Anica?
5 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Anica (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Anica 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 1,661 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Anica.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Anica?
About 1,100 people born in the US named Anica are alive today, with a median age of 26; half are between 18 and 41. That makes Anica 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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Anica: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Anica, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Anica
What does Anica mean?
Anica is a spelling of Anika, which means “pet form of Anna (Annika)” (German, Swedish, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Anica?
Anica was the 15133rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 5 babies. Its best year was 1975, when it ranked 2359th; the most babies were born in 2001 (39). Over the last ten years it has moved down 9,087 places. More babies were named Anica in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Anica a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Anica in the US.