How to say it
AN · nie
/ˈæn.i/
Feminine
Annie
Favor, grace
What it means
Diminutive of Anna and Anne, both from Hebrew Channah (Hannah), 'favor' or 'grace.' Used as a standalone given name since the 19th century; the 1977 Broadway musical Annie gave it definitive pop-culture anchor.
Annie started as a diminutive of Anna or Anne, both from the Hebrew Channah (Hannah). It graduated to a standalone given name in the 19th century, particularly in Ireland, Scotland, and the American South. Annie Oakley (the sharpshooter), Annie Get Your Gun (the 1946 Irving Berlin musical), and Annie (the 1977 Broadway musical based on the Little Orphan Annie comic strip) gave the name three different 20th-century anchors. Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love ya Tomorrow is the song. As a first name Annie surged in the 2010s as the broader vintage revival made nickname-names give-ables. It's been in the US top 300 since 2015.
Popularity over time
peaked at #8 in 1881, currently #182 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Annie is already a short form; further-shortening to An or Ann happens but is rare.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Annie Oakley American sharpshooter, Buffalo Bill's Wild West star, 1860-1926
- Annie (musical) 1977 Broadway musical based on the Little Orphan Annie comic strip
- Annie Leibovitz American portrait photographer (Leibovitz as surname)
Spelling variants
- Ann
- Anne
- Anna
Names with the same feeling
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By style