Anna is a form of Hannah used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament. It appears briefly in the New Testament as the name of a prophetess who recognized Jesus as the Messiah. The name gained popularity in the Byzantine Empire and later among Western Christians due to the veneration of Saint Anna, traditionally the mother of the Virgin Mary. In England, the Latin form Anna has been used alongside Ann and Anne since the late Middle Ages. Currently, Anna is the most common spelling in English-speakin...