Anesa
A feminine given name of Arabic origin meaning "gentle", "friendly", or "companion".
Name Census estimates that about 450 living Americans carry the first name Anesa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Anesa today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Anesa births was 2005 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Anesa. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
450
~ 1 in 761,676 Americans
Peak year
2005
32 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2020 SSA rank
#15,296
Tracked since 1967
Popularity
Anesa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Anesa from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 217 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Anesa by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Anesa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Anesas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Anesa
The name Anesa has its origins in the Greek language and culture. It is derived from the Greek word "anesis," which means "relief" or "relaxation." This suggests that the name may have been given to children with the hope that they would bring a sense of ease and tranquility to their families.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Anesa can be traced back to the Byzantine Empire in the 5th century AD. Historical records mention an Anesa who was a noblewoman and a close confidante of the Empress Theodora, wife of Emperor Justinian I.
In the 12th century, an Anesa de Courtenay was a prominent figure in the Kingdom of Jerusalem during the Crusades. She was the daughter of Joscelin III, Count of Edessa, and was known for her piety and charitable works.
During the Renaissance period, Anesa Gaetani was an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts. Born in 1462 in Naples, she was a great supporter of the humanist movement and hosted many scholars and artists in her court.
In the 19th century, Anesa Petrović was a Serbian writer and educator. Born in 1845 in Belgrade, she was one of the first women in Serbia to receive a formal education and became a pioneering figure in the promotion of women's rights and education.
Another notable Anesa in history was Anesa Mihajlović, a Serbian military officer who fought in the Balkan Wars and World War I. Born in 1892, she was one of the first women to attain the rank of captain in the Serbian army and was decorated for her bravery and service.
While the name Anesa has its roots in the Greek language, it has been adopted and used in various cultures throughout history, particularly in the Mediterranean region and parts of Eastern Europe. The name has carried with it the connotations of relief, peace, and tranquility, reflecting the hopes and aspirations of parents for their children.
People
Anesa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Anesa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Anesa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Anesa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 450 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Anesa going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 761,676 US residents.
Is Anesa a common name?
We classify Anesa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 462 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Anesa most popular?
The single biggest year for Anesa was 2005, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Anesa is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Anesa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Anesa in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.