Anne

See also: anne and Ánne

English

Etymology 1

The French spelling of Ann, used interchangeably since the Middle Ages. From Vulgate Latin Anna, from Ancient Greek Ἄννα, from the Hebrew female name חַנָּה (Hannah), meaning 'grace; gracious'. Compare with John.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation): IPA^(key): /ˈæn/
• (US): IPA^(key): /ˈɛən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æn

Proper noun

Anne (plural Annes)

1. A female given name.
   • 1380s-1390s, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales: The Man of Law's Prologue and Tale:

     Immortal God, that savedest Susanne / From false blame; and thou merciful maid, / Mary I mean, the daughter to Saint Anne, /Before whose child the angels sing Osanne,

   • 1860 Mrs Henry Wood (Ellen Wood): East Lynne. Kessinger Publishing, 2004. ISBN 0192804626 page 29:

     "What do you think they are going to name the baby? Anne; after her and her mamma. So very ugly a name!"

     "I don't think so," said Mr Carlyle. "It is simple and unpretending. I like it much. Look at the long, pretentious names in our family - Archibald! Cornelia! And yours, too - Barbara! What a mouthful they all are!"

   • 1908 Lucy Maud Montgomery: Anne of the Green Gables

     "But if you call me Anne please call me Anne spelled with an e."

     "What difference does it make how it's spelled?" asked Marilla with another rusty smile as she picked up the teapot.

     "Oh, it makes such a difference. It looks so much nicer. When you hear a name pronounced can't you always see it in your mind, just as if it was printed out? I can, and A-n-n looks dreadful, but A-n-n-e looks so much more distinguished."

Usage notes

• The popularity of the name originates in the medieval cult of Saint Anne, the apocryphal mother of the Virgin Mary.

Translations

given name — see Ann

Etymology 2

A shortened form of any of various Germanic masculine names which began with arn (eagle), such as Arnold.

Proper noun

Anne

1. (very rare) A male given name.

Anagrams

• Enna

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Danish

Etymology

Medieval Danish variant of Anna.

Proper noun

Anne c

1. A female given name.

Usage notes

• A popular first part of compound names such as Anne-Lise and Anne-Marie.

References

• [1] Danskernes Navne, based on CPR data: 59 278 females with the given name Anne have been registered in Denmark between about 1890 (=the population alive in 1967) and January 2005, with the frequency peak in the 1950s. Accessed on 19 May 2011.

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Dutch

Proper noun

Anne f

1. A female given name, cognate with English Ann or Anne.

Derived terms

• Anneke
• Annelies
• Annemieke

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Estonian

Proper noun

Anne

1. A female given name, variant of Anna.

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Finnish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɑnːe]
• Rhymes: -ɑnːe
• Hyphenation: An‧ne

Proper noun

Anne

1. A female given name, a twentieth century variant of Anna.

Declension

Declension of Anne (Kotus type 8/nalle)

		singular	plural
nominative		Anne	Annet
accusative	zero?	Anne	Annet
	normal	Annen
genitive		Annen	Annejen Anneinrare
partitive		Annea	Anneja
inessive		Annessa	Anneissa
elative		Annesta	Anneista
illative		Anneen	Anneihin
adessive		Annella	Anneilla
ablative		Annelta	Anneilta
allative		Annelle	Anneille
essive		Annena	Anneina
translative		Anneksi	Anneiksi
instructive		—	Annein
abessive		Annetta	Anneitta
comitative		—	Anneineen

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French

Proper noun

Anne f

1. A female given name, cognate to English Ann.
2. Hannah (biblical figure)
3. Anna, the prophetess (biblical figure)

Related terms

• Anaïs, Anita, Anna, Annette, Annick, Annie
• popular double names: Anne-Laure, Anne-Marie, Anne-Sophie

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German

Etymology

Medieval German variant of Anna, also borrowed from French and English.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʔanə/
• Rhymes: -anə

Proper noun

Anne f

1. A female given name.

Related terms

• Common first part of conjoined names such as Annemarie.

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Jèrriais

Proper noun

Anne f

1. A female given name

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Norwegian

Etymology

Norwegian variant of Anna, first recorded in Norway in the 15th century.

Proper noun

Anne

1. A female given name.

Usage notes

• The most common given name of women born in Norway from the 1940s to the 1970s.

References

• Kristoffer Kruken - Ola Stemshaug: Norsk personnamnleksikon, Det Norske Samlaget, Oslo 1995, ISBN 82-521-4483-7
• [2] Statistisk sentralbyrå, Namnestatistikk: 63 414 females with the given name Anne living in Norway on January 1st 2011, with the frequency peak in the 1950s. Accessed on April 18th, 2011.

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Swedish

Etymology 1

From French and French Anne. First recorded as a given name of Swedes in 1773.

Proper noun

Anne c

1. A female given name.

Usage notes

• Common first part of conjoined names like Anne-Marie (originally copied from French)

Etymology 2

From Anders, Anton, Arne.

Proper noun

Anne c

1. (rare) A diminutive of the male given name Anders, Anton or Arne.