Anferne
Meaning "wild", a unisex name of uncertain origin.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Anferne. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Anferne today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Anferne births was 1997 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Anferne. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Anferne. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1997
5 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
1997 SSA rank
#9,333
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Anferne: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Anferne 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 Anferne during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Anferne
The name Anferne is believed to have its origins in the ancient Celtic language of Brittonic, spoken in parts of what is now Great Britain during the Iron Age and Roman period. The name is thought to be derived from the Proto-Celtic words *an-fern, meaning "the smooth one" or "the calm one."
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Anferne can be found in a collection of Welsh bardic poems from the 6th century, where it is mentioned as the name of a minor chieftain in the kingdom of Powys. The name also appears in several medieval Welsh genealogies, suggesting that it was in use among the nobility and ruling classes of the region.
In the 9th century, an abbot of the monastery at Llanferne in Pembrokeshire, Wales, was recorded as being named Anferne. This suggests that the name had also gained some popularity within religious circles during the Middle Ages.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Anferne was a 12th-century Welsh prince and warrior who fought against the Norman invaders. Anferne ap Rhys (c. 1145-1197) was a member of the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Deheubarth and is celebrated in Welsh literature for his bravery and resistance against English occupation.
In the 15th century, a renowned scholar and translator of classical Greek texts, Anferne of York (c. 1420-1489), helped to popularize the name in England. His translations of Aristotle and other philosophers were widely read and influential during the Renaissance period.
Another significant bearer of the name was Anferne Gwynne (1570-1637), a Welsh lawyer and member of parliament who played a role in the political and legal disputes between the English crown and the Welsh gentry during the reign of King James I.
While not as widely used today, the name Anferne has endured as a unique and historically significant name with roots in the Celtic cultures of ancient Britain, carrying connotations of calmness, smoothness, and nobility.
People
Anferne + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Anferne 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
Anferne: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Anferne?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Anferne 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Anferne a common name?
We classify Anferne as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Anferne most popular?
The single biggest year for Anferne was 1997, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Anferne is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Anferne in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Anferne a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Anferne in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Anferne still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Anferne in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Anferne can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Anferne as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Anferne, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.