Annaly
A feminine name of Celtic origin meaning "radiant beauty".
Name Census estimates that about 557 living Americans carry the first name Annaly. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Annaly today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Annaly births was 2009 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Annaly. 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
557
~ 1 in 615,358 Americans
Peak year
2009
40 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,940
Tracked since 1990
Popularity
Annaly: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Annaly from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 262 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Annaly remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Annaly 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 Annaly during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Annalys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Annaly, while Illinois, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 73 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Annaly
The name Annaly is believed to have originated from the Irish Gaelic language. It is a feminine given name that likely derived from the Gaelic word "an" meaning "the" and "ail" meaning "rock" or "stone." The combination of these roots suggests the name Annaly may have initially referred to a person who lived near or was associated with a prominent rock formation.
In ancient Irish mythology, there are references to various deities and legendary figures associated with stones and rock formations. However, there is no clear evidence linking the name Annaly directly to any specific mythological character or text from that era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Annaly can be traced back to the 12th century in Ireland. An entry in the Annals of Ulster from the year 1177 mentions an individual named "Annaly Ua Cairellain," who was described as a prominent scholar and cleric.
Throughout the medieval period, the name Annaly appeared sporadically in various Irish records and historical documents. It was primarily concentrated in the provinces of Ulster and Connacht, suggesting a strong regional association.
In the 16th century, there is a record of an Annaly O'Reilly, who was a noblewoman and landowner in County Cavan, Ireland. She is believed to have lived during the latter half of the 1500s, though exact dates are uncertain.
Another notable figure with the name Annaly was Annaly O'Connell, a renowned poet and storyteller from County Kerry, Ireland, who lived during the 17th century. Her exact birth and death years are unknown, but her works were highly regarded in her time and contributed to the preservation of Irish folklore and oral traditions.
In the 18th century, there are records of an Annaly O'Brien, who was a prominent musician and harpist from County Clare, Ireland. She was active in the latter half of the 1700s and is credited with helping to maintain the tradition of Irish harp music during a period when it was in decline.
While the name Annaly has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has continued to be used sporadically in Ireland and among Irish diaspora communities around the world. However, due to its Celtic origins, it has largely been overshadowed by more widely adopted Irish names in modern times.
People
Annaly + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Annaly 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
Annaly: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Annaly?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 557 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Annaly 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 615,358 US residents.
Is Annaly a common name?
We classify Annaly as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 564 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Annaly most popular?
The single biggest year for Annaly was 2009, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Annaly is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Annaly a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Annaly 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.