Fun Facts About the Name Anja
- More than 2 thousand babies named Anja: U.S. records list 2,796 babies given the name Anja from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Anja Mean?
Anja is a feminine name meaning "grace" or "favor." It is a form of Anna, the Greek and Latin rendering of the Hebrew name Channah (Hannah), which rests on a Hebrew root meaning "to be gracious" or "to show favor." In the Hebrew Bible, Hannah is the mother of the prophet Samuel, and her name is usually translated as "grace" or "favor."
The j in Anja stands for the y sound, following German and Scandinavian spelling habits, so the name is not a separate etymology but a regional written form of the same name. The spelling with j is typical of German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Slovenian, Croatian, and Serbian. Russian uses the familiar form Anya, and Polish uses Ania.
Anja Name History & Origins
Anja belongs to the large family of names descended from Anna. In Christian tradition, Anna was the name of the mother of the Virgin Mary, and it became one of the most widespread female names in medieval Europe. Its very frequency produced many shortened and affectionate forms built on the stem An-, among them Anne, Anke, Anika, Annette, Anita, Anya, and Anja. The j spelling reflects how the y sound is written in German, Dutch, and the Scandinavian languages.
In Russian, the corresponding familiar form is Anya; the -ya ending is a common way of softening names that end in -a. In the South Slavic languages, Anja is used as a familiar form of Ana (Anna) and is also common as a name in its own right in Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia. In Germany and Scandinavia, Anja is likewise used both as a short form of Anna and as an independent given name.
How Popular is the Name Anja?
Anja has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2006. Its best rank was #1,684 in 2002.
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 | #4,075 | 35 | 0.0022% |
| 2024 | #3,266 | 48 | 0.0030% |
| 2023 | #3,180 | 51 | 0.0032% |
| 2022 | #3,217 | 50 | 0.0031% |
| 2021 | #3,394 | 46 | 0.0028% |
| 2020 | #3,018 | 53 | 0.0033% |
| 2019 | #2,891 | 57 | 0.0034% |
| 2018 | #3,439 | 45 | 0.0026% |
| 2017 | #2,690 | 64 | 0.0037% |
| 2016 | #2,503 | 72 | 0.0041% |
| 2015 | #2,475 | 73 | 0.0041% |
| 2014 | #3,277 | 49 | 0.0027% |
| 2013 | #2,771 | 62 | 0.0035% |
| 2012 | #2,160 | 87 | 0.0049% |
| 2011 | #2,301 | 81 | 0.0046% |
| 2010 | #2,274 | 84 | 0.0047% |
| 2009 | #2,400 | 80 | 0.0044% |
| 2008 | #2,557 | 73 | 0.0039% |
| 2007 | #2,060 | 99 | 0.0051% |
| 2006 | #1,709 | 122 | 0.0064% |
| 2005 | #2,183 | 84 | 0.0045% |
| 2004 | #2,089 | 87 | 0.0047% |
| 2003 | #2,170 | 80 | 0.0044% |
| 2002 | #1,684 | 109 | 0.0061% |
| 2001 | #2,241 | 72 | 0.0040% |
| 2000 | #2,335 | 66 | 0.0036% |
| 1999 | #2,406 | 61 | 0.0034% |
| 1998 | #2,933 | 44 | 0.0025% |
| 1997 | #3,720 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 1996 | #2,373 | 55 | 0.0031% |
| 1995 | #3,886 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1994 | #2,991 | 39 | 0.0022% |
| 1993 | #4,679 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1992 | #2,979 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 1991 | #2,891 | 40 | 0.0021% |
| 1990 | #2,647 | 44 | 0.0023% |
| 1989 | #3,258 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 1988 | #3,589 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 1987 | #4,132 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1986 | #4,037 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1985 | #3,425 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 1984 | #4,000 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1983 | #3,819 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1982 | #3,786 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1981 | #4,539 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1980 | #4,522 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1979 | #4,855 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1978 | #4,086 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 1977 | #4,672 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1976 | #4,367 | 14 | 0.0010% |
| 1975 | #3,781 | 17 | 0.0012% |
| 1974 | #3,432 | 19 | 0.0013% |
| 1973 | #4,590 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1972 | #2,906 | 23 | 0.0015% |
| 1971 | #2,109 | 39 | 0.0023% |
| 1970 | #2,650 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1969 | #2,770 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 1968 | #2,249 | 29 | 0.0018% |
| 1967 | #2,433 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 1966 | #2,756 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1965 | #1,769 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 1964 | #4,108 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1962 | #5,310 | 7 | 0.0004% |
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 Anja 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.
✦ Anja's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Anja's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.