Any
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "desired one".
Name Census estimates that about 615 living Americans carry the first name Any. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Any today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Any births was 1976 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Any. 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
615
~ 1 in 557,324 Americans
Peak year
1976
28 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,462
Tracked since 1963
Popularity
Any: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Any from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 195 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Any 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 Any during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Anys live
Origin
Meaning and history of Any
The given name Any has its origins in ancient Sumerian civilization, one of the earliest known urban societies located in the region of southern Mesopotamia, modern-day southern Iraq. The name is derived from the Sumerian word "ani," which translates to "heaven" or "sky." This celestial association suggests that the name may have been bestowed upon individuals with a connection to the divine or the heavenly realms.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Any can be found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia dating back to around 2100 BCE. In this epic, Any is mentioned as a goddess associated with the sky and the heavens. This reference indicates that the name held significance in the religious and mythological traditions of the time.
Throughout history, the name Any has appeared in various ancient texts and records, albeit with slight variations in spelling. In ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, the name "Ani" was used to refer to individuals believed to have a spiritual or celestial connection. Similarly, in ancient Greek mythology, the name "Ania" was given to a nymph associated with the wind and the skies.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Any was Ani, an Egyptian scribe and official who lived during the 19th Dynasty of ancient Egypt, around 1250 BCE. Ani is renowned for the remarkable preservation of his tomb and the intricate hieroglyphic inscriptions found within, which provide invaluable insights into ancient Egyptian beliefs and practices.
In the realm of literature, Any is the name of a character in the ancient Greek play "The Birds" by Aristophanes, written in 414 BCE. This comedic play features Any as a character who represents the embodiment of the sky and the heavenly realms.
Another notable figure named Any was Ani the Patrician, a Byzantine nobleman and military leader who lived in the 6th century CE. He played a crucial role in the Byzantine-Sassanid War and was renowned for his bravery and strategic prowess on the battlefield.
During the Middle Ages, the name Any was popular among various European cultures, particularly in regions influenced by the Germanic and Slavic languages. One notable individual from this period was Any of Gascony, a French noblewoman and troubadour who lived in the 12th century CE. She was renowned for her poetic talents and her contributions to the courtly love tradition.
Throughout history, the name Any has maintained its celestial and spiritual associations, reflecting the enduring fascination with the heavens and the divine across various cultures and civilizations.
People
Any + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Any 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
Any: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Any?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 615 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Any 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 557,324 US residents.
Is Any a common name?
We classify Any as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 658 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Any most popular?
The single biggest year for Any was 1976, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Any is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Any a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Any 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.