Anya
Anya was the 375th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 821 babies. Its best year was 2009, when it ranked 363rd; the most babies were born in 2007 (895). Over the last ten years it has moved up 175 places. More babies were named Anya in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Anna ('grace') · Russian, Hebrew
Say it AHN-yuh /ˈɑnjə/
- Rank in 2025
- #375 girls, up 282 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 821girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2007895 babies
- Total since 1880
- 20,561babies recorded
What does the name Anya mean?
Anya is a Russian and Ukrainian pet form of Anna. DMNES derives Anne/Anna from Hebrew Hannah, "grace, favor". Wiktionary also notes Anya as an English form of the Irish name Áine and a modern Sanskrit-based name in India. In US use it is mostly the Russian pet form. Anna is the Greek and Latin form of Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1:2).
Аня (Russian, “pet form of Anna”)חַנָּה (Biblical Hebrew, “grace, favor”)
How sure is this? Probable. Mostly a pet form of Anna; other sources exist.
Related names: Anna, Ann, Anja, Ania.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean grace.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Anya', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Anne', DMNES, Durham University
- Hebrew Bible / Tanakh, I Samuel 1.2, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria
Anya popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #375 | 821 |
| 2020 | #657 | 438 |
| 2010 | #406 | 789 |
| 2000 | #586 | 439 |
| 1990 | #1,545 | 99 |
| 1980 | #556 | 334 |
| 1970 | #2,357 | 32 |
| 1960 | #4,449 | 9 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Anya, counting every spelling?
Anya is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #286 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #375 for Anya on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,175 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anya | 821 | #375 | 3,536 |
| Aanya | 124 | #1,666 | 767 |
| Annya | 208 | #1,125 | 465 |
| Anyah | 22 | #5,574 | 111 |
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 Anya?
821 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Anya (0.23 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Anya 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 10 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Anya.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Anya?
About 20,300 people born in the US named Anya are alive today, with a median age of 17; half are between 9 and 23. That makes Anya 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.
Anya by state
How common Anya was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Washington (2.4×), Nevada (2.2×), Massachusetts (1.9×), Arizona (1.7×), Connecticut (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Anya: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Anya, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Anya · Sibling names for Anya
Questions about the name Anya
What does Anya mean?
Anya means “pet form of Anna ('grace')” (Russian, Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Anya?
Anya was the 375th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 821 babies. Its best year was 2009, when it ranked 363rd; the most babies were born in 2007 (895). Over the last ten years it has moved up 175 places. More babies were named Anya in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Anya a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Anya in the US.
Where is Anya most popular?
In 2021–2025, Anya was most common in Washington (1.04 per 1,000 girls), followed by Nevada and Massachusetts.