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Anu as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Anu

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The baby name Anu is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced {'common': 'AH-noo', 'IPA': ['/ˈɑː.nu/', '/ˈɑ.nu/']}.

Anu is Akkadian, Estonian, Finnish, Hindi, Sanskrit, Sumerian in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Akkadian, Estonian, Finnish, Hindi, Sanskrit, Sumerian
Pronunciation: {'common': 'AH-noo', 'IPA': ['/ˈɑː.nu/', '/ˈɑ.nu/']}

What is the meaning of the name Anu ?

The baby name Anu is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced {'common': 'AH-noo', 'IPA': ['/ˈɑː.nu/', '/ˈɑ.nu/']}.

Anu is Akkadian, Estonian, Finnish, Hindi, Sanskrit, Sumerian in Origin.

Anu is a cross-cultural given name with several independent roots. In Finland and Estonia it developed as a short form of Anna (from Hebrew Channah, “grace”), peaking in mid–late 20th century. In South Asia, Sanskrit aṇu means “minute, atom,” and the prefix anu‑ “after/along with”; Anu is both a standalone unisex name and a hypocoristic for Anuradha, Anupama, Anuj, or Anusha. Irish myth knows Anu (also Anann/Ana) as a mother‑goddess of prosperity. In Yoruba, ànù is “mercy/compassion,” with Anu used as a clipped form in names like Anuoluwapo.

Variants and related forms include Anna, Anne, Anni, Annika, Annukka, and Annu (Finnish/Estonian); Ana/Anann (Irish); the Indic spellings Anu/Annu. Overall meanings range from “grace” and “mercy” to “atom/minute,” with occasional mythic associations of nurture and prosperity.

Anu has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Anu

Anu Aggarwal Actor · Born 1969 · India Anu Aggarwal is an Indian actor best known for her role in the 1990 Bollywood film 'Aashiqui'. She gained fame for her portrayal of the character Anu Verghese in this romantic drama. After a successful but brief acting career, she later pursued a life focused on spirituality and yoga. Anu Emmanuel Actor · Born 1997 · India Anu Emmanuel is an Indian actress known for her work in Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam films. She gained popularity with her role in the Telugu film 'Majnu' and has also starred in movies like 'Agnyaathavaasi' and 'Naa Peru Surya, Naa Illu India'. Anu Prabhakar Actor · Born 1980 · India Anu Prabhakar is best known as an Indian actress who mainly works in Kannada and Tamil films. She is known for movies like Hrudaya Hrudaya, Mussanje, and Bisi Bisi.

Anu – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2016 #1 — 921
FJ Girls 0 #9 1 583
MV 0 #16 4 644
EE 0 #23 15 1,051
MV Girls 0 #23 13 2,021
ET Boys 0 #27 1 678
IN Girls 0 #31 2,785 13,121
Finland Girls 0 #32 3,243 1,368
EE Girls 0 #40 124 1,888
Finland 0 #40 791 830
OM Girls 0 #44 656 15,987
Finland Girls 2026 #46 12,420 3,895
IN 0 #47 24 2,963
CM 0 #53 4 2,592
KW Girls 0 #58 910 19,177
OM 0 #70 48 6,215
QA Girls 0 #72 339 15,378
MV Boys 0 #75 5 3,375
AE Girls 0 #76 877 20,968
AL 0 #76 1 2,372
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
QA 0 #80 21 7,011
CN 0 #85 2 3,857
KW 0 #85 32 5,216
GE Girls 0 #102 7 1,564
CY Girls 0 #106 16 3,755
BN Girls 0 #109 6 5,459
GE Boys 0 #110 1 2,055
AE 0 #124 54 10,220
CY Boys 0 #131 1 3,473
MU 0 #132 6 3,613
BN Boys 0 #138 2 6,332
LT Boys 0 #149 3 2,166
BW Boys 0 #154 1 4,685
CR 0 #164 2 5,526
SI Girls 0 #175 3 2,769
Sweden Girls 2014 #179 3 1,576
BD 0 #183 45 5,992
MU Girls 0 #185 172 8,539
LU Girls 0 #189 2 4,850
RU 0 #193 2 3,641
BH 0 #197 456 17,937
LT Girls 0 #199 2 1,904
BD Girls 0 #205 194 8,413
AL Girls 0 #225 3 4,141
HU Girls 0 #225 1 3,308
PS 0 #225 2 5,692
JP Girls 0 #229 17 6,592
MO Boys 0 #233 2 5,842
NG 0 #241 24 5,926
SA Girls 0 #241 1,103 25,931
SG 0 #244 26 11,010
GR Girls 0 #247 3 6,293
GH 0 #248 1 5,396
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
PT 0 #249 2 4,161
TW Boys 0 #254 3 7,111
SA 0 #256 40 10,560
MO Girls 0 #258 6 7,056
GR Boys 0 #268 6 6,912
AF Boys 0 #274 1 3,535
KZ Boys 0 #274 16 6,578
IL 0 #278 5 6,291
TW Girls 0 #285 5 8,139
JM Boys 0 #293 1 6,876
HR Girls 0 #294 1 3,687
AL Boys 0 #302 2 5,122
JP Boys 0 #302 2 7,909
JO Girls 0 #305 21 7,570
MY 0 #314 17 12,352
DK Girls 0 #324 6 7,429
KZ Girls 0 #329 4 5,862
CN Boys 0 #330 2 9,639
DK Boys 0 #331 2 7,401
GH Girls 0 #336 2 6,973
PL Boys 0 #340 1 6,459
PL Girls 0 #341 14 5,096
CZ Girls 0 #348 4 5,378
OM Boys 0 #351 751 17,948
HK 0 #352 6 8,483
SD Girls 0 #353 6 7,678
CN Girls 0 #354 6 8,829
QA Boys 0 #354 400 18,093
GH Boys 0 #358 4 8,138
JO Boys 0 #368 10 7,057
MU Boys 0 #368 2 8,477
YE 0 #369 13 8,639
SG Girls 0 #379 215 18,916
PT Boys 0 #381 1 7,951
KW Boys 0 #386 436 18,755
Finland Boys 0 #394 34 2,041
PH Boys 0 #406 3 11,440
UY Boys 0 #413 1 5,922
PH Girls 0 #425 5 13,098
BD Boys 0 #432 150 10,045
AE Boys 0 #438 940 22,615
IQ Girls 0 #446 59 11,303
SD Boys 0 #458 9 10,523
PT Girls 0 #464 8 7,952
NG Girls 0 #469 376 15,093
ZA 0 #472 3 14,421
IN Boys 0 #473 643 16,750
AR Boys 0 #479 5 7,628
RU Girls 0 #481 18 11,913
CM Girls 0 #482 59 11,671
PS Girls 0 #483 41 10,981
CM Boys 0 #507 44 12,054
CR Boys 0 #510 1 10,188
PA Girls 0 #515 4 9,861
CR Girls 0 #523 10 11,342
RU Boys 0 #525 2 12,621
UY Girls 0 #535 2 6,731
IR Girls 0 #543 3 8,334
LY 0 #551 9 12,703
HK Boys 0 #554 4 12,905
PS Boys 0 #557 5 10,655
IR Boys 0 #565 1 10,162
MY Girls 0 #568 475 24,821
IL Girls 0 #573 45 11,648
HK Girls 0 #575 41 16,104
AR Girls 0 #587 13 8,289
SG Boys 0 #620 78 17,960
BO Boys 0 #621 2 9,244
IL Boys 0 #622 4 10,983
LB 0 #640 19 13,263
IQ Boys 0 #658 10 13,071
CL Boys 0 #695 6 13,390
IT 0 #704 11 4,183
SA Boys 0 #729 1,282 28,008
SY 0 #767 1 11,684
BR Boys 0 #784 2 12,213
NG Boys 0 #788 164 16,906
Germany Girls 0 #804 35 4,949
EG Boys 0 #869 18 15,035
United States Boys 2024 #884 9 7,044
United States Girls 2024 #909 8 8,487
CL Girls 0 #914 2 14,098
Spain Boys 0 #918 13 5,610
PE Boys 0 #924 3 14,506
NL Girls 0 #925 31 5,933
Germany Boys 0 #938 15 5,697
NL Boys 0 #940 12 5,873
EG Girls 0 #943 17 14,742
Spain Girls 0 #953 31 5,561
CO Boys 0 #977 5 15,656
MY Boys 0 #1,001 111 25,439
PE Girls 0 #1,009 2 14,861
MX Boys 0 #1,029 5 16,355
MA 0 #1,105 24 20,986
ZA Girls 0 #1,113 29 25,928
CO Girls 0 #1,151 2 16,140
DZ 0 #1,232 3 20,130
TR 0 #1,248 7 19,440
MX Girls 0 #1,265 3 17,781
IT Girls 0 #1,266 181 9,415
ZA Boys 0 #1,266 7 25,619
IT Boys 0 #1,405 67 10,046

Anu is popular in 76 countries — most recent births per country:

United States
Ireland
AE
AF
AL

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Anu

Anu is predominantly a girl's name.
Anu is a 2 syllable name, pronounced {'common': 'AH-noo', 'IPA': ['/ˈɑː.nu/', '/ˈɑ.nu/']}.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Aanu, Anou, Used as a short form of longer Indian names (e.g., Anuradha, Anupama and Anushka).
Yes, very popular — Anu ranked #1 in Ireland in 2016, and appears in official birth registries across 4 countries.
Anu ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2016).
Anu's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #928 in 2014 to #909 in 2024 in United States.
Yes — 3 notable people named Anu are in our database, including Anu Aggarwal (Actor), Anu Emmanuel (Actor), Anu Prabhakar (Actor).