Anne f
English, French, and German form (via Old French, Latin, and Greek) of the Hebrew female name Hanna ‘He (God) has favoured me (i.e. with a child)’. This is the name borne in the Bible by the mother of Samuel (see HANNAH (SEE Hannah)), and according to non-biblical tradition also by the mother of the Virgin Mary. It is the widespread folk cult of the latter that has led to the great popularity of the name in various forms throughout Europe. The simplified form ANN (SEE Ann) was in the 19th century very much more common, but the form with final -e has grown in popularity during the 20th century, partly perhaps due to the enormous popularity of L. M. Montgomery's story Anne of Green Gables (1908), and partly due to Princess Anne (b. 1950). In Ireland Anne has been used as an Anglicized form of ÁINE (SEE Áine). See also ANNA (SEE Anna).
First names dictionary. 2012.