Guest Post: "Anna" by Abigail Metgzer

I'm so excited to share with you guys this fantastic post by my friend Abigail! Y'all know I love names, so having her share her thoughts and research on one very dear to my heart is sure to be a ton of fun! I hope y'all enjoy this post as much as I did!

_____________________

Anna. The name I once took for granted, had come back to me with a case.

You see, it was a quiet winter’s morning when it confronted me, holding an official briefcase (the kind that a lawyer would carry) and told me how absurd it was that I had overlooked it. And it went on to list all its facts and reasons why I was wrong.

And after reviewing the case, I agreed. Thence, I managed to settle out of court.

But as I kept my promise, I realized what a fun and intriguing a name it truly was.

Anna.

Simple and classic, with a flash of style.

The name Anna is of course a feminine name of Hebrew origin that means ‘grace’ and is a Latin form of the Greek name ‘Avva’.

While Anna and Hannah are the most common forms of the name, other popular variants include Anne, Ana, Anya, Anika, Annie, Annalise, and Nancy.

The name Anna had become more dominant over the simplified: Ann or Anne, because of its unique touch of style.

Though the name Ann/Anne is a good name itself, has been used around the world and possessed by many well-knowns such as Anne Frank for centuries, the name Anna has also been very widespread.

It has been reportedly used in England, Ireland, Australia, Poland, and Russia to name a few.

Speaking of which, ‘Anna’ was serially used by Leo Tolstoy in his great Russian novels, War and Peace and Anna Karenina.

The name was later given a fresh perspective as it became the name for the fiery Princess of Arrendelle in Disney Studio’s ‘Frozen’ and ‘Frozen 2’.

But of course, my favorite reference of the name ‘Anna’ is in the Bible.

“And there was a prophetess, Anna” (Luke 2:36, ESV).

Anna was a prophetess in the Bible and was connected with Jesus’ childhood, where she encounters Him in the temple.

Anna was also one of the few women in the Bible to bear the title ‘prophetess’ and upon reading her story, she certainly lived up to her name’s meaning.

“She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying” (Luke 2:37)

...Well, Name Lawyer or whoever you are that disrupted my list of exotic names to convince me to learn the history behind this one….... Thanks.

Anna.

What a name.