Etymology: Anne is a classic name that means “Grace of God” and also “Glorious”.

Origin and history: Anne takes her name from Hannah that is Hebrew in origin. It is believed that Anne was the mother of the Virgin Mary, even though she is not mentioned in the Bible. The name, Anne rose up through the ages to become more of a mainstay in British society in the 1500’s, when Queen Anne (Anne of Boleyn) was the second wife of King HenryVIII.

Popularity: In 1919, the name Anne stood at 57 on the popularity charts. Since 1920 the name Anne has slowly been losing ground. Although it remains in the top 1000 today, in 2006 it was just about in the middle at 460.

Fascinating Facts: The book Anne of Green Gables written by Lucy Maud Montgomery in the early 1900’s has become so incredibly popular that the character is an icon in Japan, and the book has been translated into 36 different languages.

The pirate Blackbeard named his infamous flagship Queen Anne’s Revenge.

Namesakes: Three Shakespearian characters share this name, one of which is Lady Anne in the play Richard III.

You may have heard of Queen Anne’s furniture that has a stylish and elegant quality. The furniture was named after Queen Anne of England who reigned from 1702 until 1714.

A lacy, white wildflower that originated in England and grows along American highways is named Queen Anne’s lace.

There are many places in the world named after Anne; several are in the U.S. such as Princess Anne, Maryland, and Queen Anne Square, in Newport Rhode Island. There also is a Fort Anne in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Famous persons: Anne Frank was a young German born, Jewish girl who became famous after her death, for writing her diary. Her diary describes two years of her life spent in hiding from persecution against Jewish people in Nazi Germany. Anne Frank’s diary was printed at the urging of her fatherthe only member of the family who survived. She was born in June of 1929, and died March of 1945.

Anne Bancrof was an American actress,that became well known for her role as Mrs. Robinson in the 1967 movie, “The Graduate”. Anne Bancroft was born on September 17, 1931, and died on June 6, 2005.

Princess Anne, the daughter of the Queen of England (Queen Elizabeth II), is tenth in line for the British throne, and is the only member of the Royal Family to have competed in the Olympic games. (She competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, riding her mother’s horse.) She was born on August 15, 1950.

American singer Ann Wilson demonstrating incredible vocal prowess made many chart topping hits spanning three decades, with her band Heart. Heart had hits like, “Crazy on You,” and “Barracuda”. She was born on June 19, 1951.

Anne Hathaway is an American actress and she was born on November 12, 1982.
This famous actress starred in the movies, “Broke Back Mountain” in 2005 and “The Devil Wears Prada” in 2006.

Name variants: Ann, Anna, Anni, Annee, Annie, Anny, Anne-Lise, Annabelle, Annebelle, Anneliese, Annaliese, Annemarie, Roseanne, and Maryanne.

Sources: ivillage.com, IMDb.com, Wikipedia, and Behind the name