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The short answer
Anais is a feminine name in current use in the United States: it ranked #892 for girls in the United States in 2025. Behind the Name calls the meaning of Anaïs uncertain, suggesting it may be a derivative of Anne or Agnès; Anaís is the Catalan and Spanish form of that name. The full derivation, and how far the sources will carry it, is set out below.
Meaning and etymology
Anais is the unaccented spelling of two documented names. Behind the Name's entry for Anaís (Catalan, Spanish) calls it the "Catalan and Spanish form of Anaïs", and its entry for French Anaïs says the meaning is "uncertain, possibly a derivative of Anne 1 or Agnès", adding that the name was used in Jean-Henri Guy's 1798 opera Anacréon chez Polycrate and could have been adapted from a classical name such as Anaitis or Athénaïs. The best-known bearer is the Cuban-French writer Anaïs Nin (1903–1977).
Editorial confidence: uncertain
Competing or overlapping origins
- Behind the Name's Catalan and Spanish entry (Anaís) derives the name from the French Anaïs.
- Behind the Name's French entry (Anaïs) calls the meaning uncertain: possibly from Anne or Agnès, possibly adapted from a classical name such as Anaitis or Athénaïs.
Popularity
Anais ranked #892 for girls in the United States in 2025. The figure comes from the Social Security Administration's national file for that year.
| Region | Year | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2025 | #892 | ssa-2025 |
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Anais mean?
Behind the Name calls the meaning of Anaïs uncertain, suggesting it may be a derivative of Anne or Agnès; Anaís is the Catalan and Spanish form of that name.
Is Anais a popular name?
Anais ranked #892 for girls in the United States in 2025. (Social Security Administration data).
Is Anais a boy's or a girl's name?
In the 2025 SSA data Anais appears in the girls' list.
Sources
- U.S. Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names — national data, year of birth 2025 — supports popularity, gender usage.
- Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name Anaís — supports Catalan and Spanish usage, relationship to Anaïs.
- Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name Anaïs — supports meaning, French usage, history.
