Fun Facts About the Name Anais
- More than 9 thousand babies named Anais: U.S. records list 9,328 babies given the name Anais from 1880 through 2025. Even 118 boys received the name Anais - about 1 boy for every 78 girls.
What Does the Name Anais Mean?
The meaning of the name Anais is uncertain. It is a feminine name used in French and Occitan. The most common explanation derives it from the Greek name Anais, a variant of Anaitis, which was the Greek form of the Persian goddess Anahita. Anahita's name comes from an Avestan word meaning "unpolluted" or "pure," so this derivation would give the meaning "pure" or "immaculate." A less common explanation connects it to Anna, from the Hebrew Hannah, meaning "grace" or "favor." However, the similarity to Anna may be coincidental, and the Greek derivation is often preferred.
Anais Name History & Origins
The name Anais, usually written Anaïs in French, developed in the Occitan-speaking regions of southern France. It likely comes from the Greek name Anais, which was used in the Hellenistic world as a form of Anaitis, the Greek name for the Persian goddess Anahita. The cult of Anahita spread through the ancient Mediterranean, and the name Anaitis appears in Greek inscriptions. The French form Anaïs is attested in Occitan and French sources. It is also used in Catalan and Spanish as Anaís. In English, the diaeresis is often dropped, giving the spelling Anais. The name is notably borne by the French-Cuban writer Anaïs Nin (1903 - 1977).
How Popular is the Name Anais?
Anais recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2021. Its best rank was #824 in 2021.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #892 | 299 | 0.0186% |
| 2024 | #854 | 315 | 0.0195% |
| 2023 | #849 | 315 | 0.0197% |
| 2022 | #840 | 333 | 0.0203% |
| 2021 | #824 | 337 | 0.0206% |
| 2020 | #909 | 288 | 0.0178% |
| 2019 | #859 | 312 | 0.0186% |
| 2018 | #850 | 319 | 0.0188% |
| 2017 | #1,091 | 232 | 0.0134% |
| 2016 | #1,126 | 225 | 0.0127% |
| 2015 | #1,038 | 256 | 0.0143% |
| 2014 | #1,112 | 228 | 0.0128% |
| 2013 | #1,171 | 205 | 0.0117% |
| 2012 | #1,168 | 210 | 0.0119% |
| 2011 | #1,418 | 160 | 0.0091% |
| 2010 | #1,292 | 184 | 0.0104% |
| 2009 | #1,106 | 230 | 0.0125% |
| 2008 | #1,156 | 222 | 0.0117% |
| 2007 | #906 | 303 | 0.0158% |
| 2006 | #869 | 306 | 0.0161% |
| 2005 | #940 | 263 | 0.0142% |
| 2004 | #1,405 | 148 | 0.0081% |
| 2003 | #991 | 233 | 0.0128% |
| 2002 | #1,044 | 206 | 0.0115% |
| 2001 | #1,187 | 172 | 0.0096% |
| 2000 | #1,127 | 181 | 0.0100% |
| 1999 | #1,011 | 202 | 0.0114% |
| 1998 | #1,004 | 199 | 0.0113% |
| 1997 | #1,118 | 168 | 0.0097% |
| 1996 | #1,071 | 173 | 0.0099% |
| 1995 | #1,189 | 144 | 0.0082% |
| 1994 | #1,066 | 170 | 0.0095% |
| 1993 | #973 | 193 | 0.0107% |
| 1992 | #845 | 235 | 0.0127% |
| 1991 | #1,024 | 180 | 0.0096% |
| 1990 | #1,154 | 149 | 0.0078% |
| 1989 | #1,080 | 156 | 0.0085% |
| 1988 | #877 | 201 | 0.0113% |
| 1987 | #1,572 | 80 | 0.0046% |
| 1986 | #1,224 | 112 | 0.0065% |
| 1985 | #1,066 | 138 | 0.0080% |
| 1984 | #1,087 | 128 | 0.0076% |
| 1983 | #2,785 | 31 | 0.0019% |
| 1982 | #4,172 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1981 | #5,267 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1980 | #10,461 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #7,344 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #6,913 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #7,324 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #8,471 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1972 | #8,331 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,223 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #7,252 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #8,298 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #5,578 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2020 | #10,672 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #12,266 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #6,073 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #12,297 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #8,173 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2007 | #12,461 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2005 | #11,557 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #9,631 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #8,844 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #8,161 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1985 | #5,815 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Anais Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Anais's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Anais's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.