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Nan as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Nan

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The baby name Nan is a Female name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /næn/ (rhymes with 'man'),/nɑːn/ (UK variant).

Gender: Female
Syllables: 1.0
Pronunciation: /næn/ (rhymes with 'man'),/nɑːn/ (UK variant)

What is the meaning of the name Nan ?

The baby name Nan is a Female name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /næn/ (rhymes with 'man'),/nɑːn/ (UK variant).

Nan is in Origin.

Nan is a compact English pet form of Ann/Anne, which descend from Latin Anna and ultimately Hebrew Hannah, meaning “grace” or “favor.” The nickname arose in Middle English through affectionate forms and the “mine Anne” > “my Nan” pattern that also produced Nancy; analogous shifts created Ned from “mine Ed” and Nell from “mine Ellen.” While long used as a diminutive, Nan has periodically stood on its own as a given name.

Records show Nan in use since at least the 16th century - Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor calls Anne Page “sweet Nan” - and it enjoyed modest popularity in the Victorian and early 20th centuries across Britain and the United States. Related forms include Ann, Anne, Anna, Annie, Nancy, Nance, and Nanette; Nana and Nanny appear as affectionate variants. Note: in British English “nan” means grandmother, and in Chinese, Nan (南/男) is an unrelated given name meaning “south” or “man.”

Nan has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Nan

Nan Grey Actor · Born 1918 · United States Nan Grey was an American film actress best known for her roles in classic 1930s and 1940s movies. She appeared in films including Dracula's Daughter, Three Smart Girls, and The Invisible Man Returns. Nan Martin Actor · Born 1927 · United States Nan Martin was best known as an American actress and comedian who appeared widely in film and television. She had a long screen career, including roles in The Twilight Zone, The Drew Carey Show, and Goodbye Columbus. King Nan of Zhou Royal · Born -400 · Zhou dynasty King Nan of Zhou, personal name Ji Yan, is best known as the last king of China’s Zhou dynasty. He was the son of King Shenjing and the grandson of King Xian, and he is also less commonly referred to as King Yin of Zhou.

Nan – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2024 #1 — 911
KR Girls 0 #15 1 572
BN 0 #32 1 2,297
MV Girls 0 #34 2 2,021
GE 0 #42 3 997
PR 0 #55 1 1,497
CM 0 #56 1 2,592
CN 0 #76 10 3,857
JP 0 #76 2 4,057
MV Boys 0 #79 1 3,375
JM 0 #92 2 3,714
AF Girls 0 #94 1 2,402
TW 0 #100 4 4,523
GE Girls 0 #103 6 1,564
QA 0 #104 3 7,011
BN Girls 0 #108 7 5,459
OM 0 #119 3 6,215
KW 0 #120 2 5,216
BN Boys 0 #121 13 6,332
EC 0 #121 1 2,502
CY Girls 0 #125 1 3,755
IQ 0 #133 1 3,533
MU 0 #136 2 3,613
JO 0 #140 1 2,158
CR 0 #142 17 5,526
BW Girls 0 #150 2 4,216
BW Boys 0 #154 1 4,685
PR Girls 0 #166 2 3,171
PR Boys 0 #178 1 2,508
UY 0 #182 1 2,477
AE 0 #185 3 10,220
LU Girls 0 #189 2 4,850
AR 0 #190 4 2,915
CN Boys 0 #199 129 9,639
DK 0 #206 1 5,198
MO Boys 0 #212 12 5,842
AO Girls 0 #217 1 4,575
BG Boys 0 #220 1 3,850
LU Boys 0 #220 1 4,970
TW Boys 0 #220 22 7,111
HU Girls 0 #223 3 3,308
PS 0 #224 3 5,692
AL Girls 0 #227 1 4,141
SG Girls 0 #228 475 18,916
CN Girls 0 #229 127 8,829
BG Girls 0 #230 2 3,559
MO Girls 0 #233 19 7,056
BD 0 #234 8 5,992
NA Girls 0 #237 1 7,146
EC Boys 0 #246 1 3,322
GH 0 #246 3 5,396
SG 0 #246 24 11,010
GR Girls 0 #248 2 6,293
JP Girls 0 #248 4 6,592
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
NA Boys 0 #253 1 6,830
EC Girls 0 #258 1 3,650
HR Boys 0 #259 1 3,997
NG 0 #272 1 5,926
AF Boys 0 #274 1 3,535
JM Girls 0 #274 5 7,507
TW Girls 0 #285 5 8,139
SA 0 #286 10 10,560
QA Girls 0 #290 27 15,378
JM Boys 0 #291 3 6,876
KZ Boys 0 #294 3 6,578
MY 0 #295 36 12,352
JP Boys 0 #297 7 7,909
DK Girls 0 #299 18 7,429
JO Girls 0 #304 22 7,570
CZ Boys 0 #305 1 6,530
PE 0 #323 7 6,350
SD Girls 0 #324 22 7,678
MU Girls 0 #328 24 8,539
KZ Girls 0 #330 3 5,862
DK Boys 0 #331 2 7,401
GH Girls 0 #332 6 6,973
PL Boys 0 #337 4 6,459
GT 0 #338 1 5,948
MU Boys 0 #345 13 8,477
CZ Girls 0 #349 3 5,378
HK 0 #349 9 8,483
GH Boys 0 #356 6 8,138
MX 0 #359 55 8,339
PL Girls 0 #359 6 5,096
BR 0 #360 1 5,969
YE 0 #361 21 8,639
OM Girls 0 #363 34 15,987
PH Boys 0 #365 19 11,440
NL 0 #380 12 2,481
PT Boys 0 #380 2 7,951
EG 0 #387 14 6,387
JO Boys 0 #387 3 7,057
SA Girls 0 #398 632 25,931
BD Girls 0 #402 5 8,413
BO 0 #404 5 6,868
UY Boys 0 #411 3 5,922
PH Girls 0 #423 7 13,098
Germany 0 #427 11 2,542
CL 0 #430 5 6,867
CR Girls 0 #431 102 11,342
SD Boys 0 #432 14 10,523
MY Boys 0 #436 945 25,439
ZA 0 #466 9 14,421
CO 0 #469 12 7,768
PT Girls 0 #471 1 7,952
AR Boys 0 #476 8 7,628
HK Boys 0 #478 50 12,905
IQ Girls 0 #478 27 11,303
KW Girls 0 #479 37 19,177
RU Girls 0 #482 17 11,913
AR Girls 0 #495 105 8,289
GT Boys 0 #496 4 7,625
UY Girls 0 #499 12 6,731
LY 0 #504 32 12,703
PA Boys 0 #505 1 9,305
CR Boys 0 #506 5 10,188
AE Girls 0 #507 47 20,968
PA Girls 0 #515 4 9,861
BH 0 #518 36 17,937
RU Boys 0 #520 7 12,621
SG Boys 0 #527 172 17,960
GT Girls 0 #538 4 7,500
PS Girls 0 #542 6 10,981
IR Girls 0 #543 3 8,334
CM Girls 0 #553 8 11,671
PS Boys 0 #554 8 10,655
HK Girls 0 #557 59 16,104
IR Boys 0 #564 2 10,162
BD Boys 0 #567 10 10,045
CM Boys 0 #570 6 12,054
BO Girls 0 #600 12 9,488
IL Girls 0 #608 10 11,648
BO Boys 0 #620 3 9,244
IL Boys 0 #622 4 10,983
IN Girls 0 #622 10 13,121
LB 0 #635 24 13,263
CL Boys 0 #640 26 13,390
IQ Boys 0 #650 18 13,071
EG Girls 0 #655 322 14,742
QA Boys 0 #681 27 18,093
MX Girls 0 #683 631 17,781
SY 0 #689 40 11,684
MY Girls 0 #693 313 24,821
IT 0 #701 14 4,183
Finland Girls 2026 #711 28 3,895
KW Boys 0 #719 51 18,755
Germany Girls 0 #724 115 4,949
BR Boys 0 #731 21 12,213
EG Boys 0 #743 144 15,035
NG Girls 0 #763 24 15,093
NL Girls 0 #784 172 5,933
TN 0 #793 37 13,765
CL Girls 0 #822 30 14,098
CO Boys 0 #836 85 15,656
PE Boys 0 #852 27 14,506
OM Boys 0 #853 29 17,948
Spain Boys 0 #885 46 5,610
MX Boys 0 #888 95 16,355
NL Boys 0 #890 62 5,873
United States Girls 2022 #898 6 8,739
PE Girls 0 #901 43 14,861
Spain Girls 0 #926 58 5,561
BR Girls 0 #927 15 12,708
Germany Boys 0 #931 22 5,697
IN Boys 0 #975 27 16,750
NG Boys 0 #995 7 16,906
CO Girls 0 #1,013 66 16,140
MA 0 #1,013 116 20,986
ZA Girls 0 #1,038 104 25,928
AE Boys 0 #1,056 37 22,615
DZ 0 #1,061 116 20,130
ZA Boys 0 #1,154 25 25,619
TR 0 #1,187 25 19,440
IT Girls 0 #1,345 102 9,415
IT Boys 0 #1,383 89 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,398 217 28,008

Nan is popular in 77 countries — most recent births per country:

Ireland
United States
AE
AF
AL

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

People also ask about Nan

Nan is predominantly a girl's name.
Nan is a one syllable name, pronounced /næn/ (rhymes with 'man'),/nɑːn/ (UK variant).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Nancy, Nance, Nannie, Nanette, Nanny and Anne.
Yes, very popular — Nan ranked #1 in Ireland in 2024, and appears in official birth registries across 3 countries.
Nan ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2024).
Nan's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2014 to #1 in 2024 in Ireland.
Yes — 3 notable people named Nan are in our database, including Nan Grey (Actor), Nan Martin (Actor), King Nan of Zhou (Royal).