Fun Facts About the Name Ananias
- 957 babies named Ananias: U.S. records list 957 babies given the name Ananias from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ananias Mean?
Ananias is a Greek form of the Hebrew name Hananiah (חֲנַנְיָה), built from two elements: the verb ḥanan, meaning "to be gracious" or "to show favor," and Yah, the shortened form of the divine name Yahweh. Taken literally, the name says that Yahweh has been gracious or favorable. In Greek the name appears as Ἁνανίας, with the initial rough breathing and the Greek masculine ending -s added, and it is this Greek shape that Latin and later European languages passed on as Ananias. The meaning is not disputed; the customary English rendering "the Lord is gracious" substitutes "the Lord" for the divine name, which Jewish practice avoided pronouncing.
Ananias Name History & Origins
The Hebrew Hananiah was in use long before the Greek form. It belongs to figures in the Hebrew Bible, among them the prophet Hananiah who opposed Jeremiah (Jeremiah 28) and Hananiah, one of Daniel's companions, later renamed Shadrach (Daniel 1). Because Greek-speaking Jews regularly rendered Hebrew names into Greek, a form such as Ananias served as the Greek equivalent of Hananiah, and it appears in that role in the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures.
The name is best known from the New Testament book of Acts, which presents three different men named Ananias. The first is the husband of Sapphira, who is said to have died after deceiving the early community about money (Acts 5). The second is a disciple in Damascus who restored the sight of Saul of Tarsus after his vision on the road (Acts 9). The third is the high priest before whom Paul was brought in Jerusalem (Acts 23 - 24); this Ananias, son of Nedebaeus, held the high priesthood in the middle of the first century and is also described by the historian Josephus. Through these accounts the name entered Christian use, and it was borne by early church figures and clergy.
In Hebrew the name remained Hananiah, while the Greek-derived forms spread with Christianity. A shorter form, Anania, is used in Italian and Georgian, and Slavic languages have the form Ananiya. The name is thus an instance of a Hebrew theophoric name traveling through Greek into the wider European naming stock, with its biblical associations in Acts keeping it recognizable.
How Popular is the Name Ananias?
Ananias recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2025. Its best rank was #898 in 1883.
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 | #2,452 | 55 | 0.0032% |
| 2024 | #2,707 | 48 | 0.0028% |
| 2023 | #3,005 | 41 | 0.0024% |
| 2022 | #3,342 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 2021 | #3,244 | 36 | 0.0021% |
| 2020 | #2,929 | 40 | 0.0023% |
| 2019 | #2,942 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 2018 | #3,450 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2017 | #6,711 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #3,167 | 36 | 0.0019% |
| 2015 | #3,885 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2014 | #4,545 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2013 | #5,174 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2012 | #5,495 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2011 | #6,272 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #8,179 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #6,109 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2008 | #6,782 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #5,219 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 2006 | #5,538 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #8,339 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #8,180 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #7,270 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #6,553 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2001 | #7,559 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #5,305 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1999 | #8,759 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #8,524 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #8,176 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #6,528 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #7,816 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #6,157 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #6,439 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #6,251 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #6,766 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #5,816 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #6,278 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #6,312 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #6,294 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #4,428 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #5,152 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #5,623 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #5,127 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #4,394 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #3,361 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #3,631 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #3,210 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #3,151 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1951 | #2,251 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1950 | #3,337 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1948 | #3,695 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #3,381 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1944 | #2,868 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1943 | #3,560 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1940 | #3,145 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1939 | #2,617 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1938 | #2,485 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1937 | #3,542 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1936 | #3,565 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1935 | #2,964 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1933 | #3,286 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1932 | #3,100 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1931 | #3,402 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1930 | #2,615 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1929 | #3,572 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1928 | #2,274 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1926 | #2,913 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1924 | #3,272 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1923 | #3,833 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1922 | #3,025 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1921 | #3,222 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1919 | #2,888 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1915 | #3,842 | 5 | 0.0006% |
| 1913 | #1,808 | 10 | 0.0020% |
| 1912 | #2,556 | 5 | 0.0012% |
| 1910 | #1,319 | 7 | 0.0036% |
| 1904 | #1,213 | 5 | 0.0039% |
| 1900 | #1,051 | 7 | 0.0047% |
| 1889 | #978 | 5 | 0.0045% |
| 1883 | #898 | 5 | 0.0048% |
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 Ananias 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.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Ananias's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ananias's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.