Ann is the English short form of Anne — from the Hebrew Channah ("grace, favor"). A top-50 US baby name from 1880 to 1972. The single-n spelling differentiates Ann from the more common Anne; both share the same Hebrew root. Ann Wilson (born 1950) — American singer; lead vocalist of Heart (Barracuda, Magic Man, Crazy on You); inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2013). Ann Curry (born 1956) — American journalist; co-host of NBC's Today Show (2011-2012); reported from over 40 conflict zones. Ann Bancroft (born 1955) — American polar explorer; first woman to cross the ice to both the North Pole (1986) and the South Pole (1993); first woman to ski across Greenland's ice cap. Ann Patchett, Ann Druyan, Ann Romney, Ann Coulter — others. Ann Landers (Esther Lederer) — twin sister of Abigail Van Buren.
Featured throughout American history.
Ann does not currently appear in the US Social Security Administration's top 1,000 girls' names, so we don't publish a US rank or birth count for it. That says nothing about the name's standing elsewhere in the world — only that it sits outside the ranked US data we rely on.
In Pythagorean numerology the letters of Ann reduce to 2, The Peacemaker. This is a traditional interpretive system, not a factual claim about the name.