How Many Variations Of The Name Anne Are There?

The oldest form of this name is the ancient Hebrew Hanna "he has favoured me," which means "God has favoured me with a child." According to tradition, Hanna or Anne was the mother of the virgin Mary (though this is not stated in the Bible itself, and the tradition may have grown because of the name's meaning.) In any case the name has Biblical roots; Hanna is the mother of Samuel in the Old Testament. Because of this, it became popular as Hannah in the Puritan era of the 17th century. The name Anne (the commoner English spelling is Ann) has remained popular for centuries, with several variations. Anna is the Latin form (it may actually have evolved separately from Anne.) Annette, originally a pet name for Anne, is now a well known name in its own right. Annabelle or Annabella may also be derived from Anne, but more probably comes from the old name Amabel, "lovable."

The name Anne enjoyed a revival in the late 19th and early 20th century because of the huge popularity of LM Montgomery's books "Anne of Green Gables."