Ana

Ana is Anna stripped to its essentials, the "h" dropped and the vowels left to do the work. A form of the Hebrew Hannah, meaning grace or favor, it travels effortlessly through Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian, and Romanian homes, a shared inheritance across continents. Three letters, two syllables, no ornament. The name is almost a breath. In the United States it has held steady near the top 250 for decades, beloved in Latin American families and by parents drawn to its unfussy clarity. Ana is the name you can call across a crowded room, or whisper into a sleeping child's ear.