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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Anna or Anya

37 replies

Whatdayisit76 · 30/12/2020 09:21

Dh loves the name Anna, I like it but feel it may be a bit bland, probably because I went to school with a few.
I love Anya, dh likes it, he just prefers Anna.

Which do you prefer?

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Silkiechickscat · 01/01/2021 04:59

Much prefer Anya. Find Anna quite dull and plain.

August20 · 01/01/2021 03:47

Anya is a nickname FOR Anna!

DramaAlpaca · 01/01/2021 03:41

Anna isn't the least bit dull. It's traditional, strong and international.

@resm Anya isn't pronounced anything like the Irish Áine. Áine is AWN-ya, Anya is ANN-ya, or sometimes AHN-ya. They are very different.

akerman · 01/01/2021 03:40

Anna.
Elegant and beautiful and suits an adult as well as a little girl. I love the name.

blisstwins · 01/01/2021 03:38

But spelling it Ania was a mistake. It is the polish variant and people sayann-Nye-ah. It is surprisingly international—Russians, Slavic s, Germans (Anja), Indians and Irish all have a version.

blisstwins · 01/01/2021 03:36

My daughter is Ania. We pronounce it Ahn-ya. I love it and so does she.

Chilldonaldchill · 01/01/2021 01:12

I like them both. I would personally go for Anya because Anna is just more popular and feels a bit less interesting.

resm · 01/01/2021 01:05

I would assume Anya was pronounced the same as Aine (which I think is Irish for Anna/Anne).

NatFac · 01/01/2021 00:50

I love Anna and it is one of my potential baby names but I like Anya too - think it would also depend on a middle name and what would go better with your surname

lemonandthyme · 31/12/2020 23:29

Love them both. Probably prefer Anya

Kanaloa · 31/12/2020 23:25

Both totally lovely names. I personally would use Anna since I think it’s so timeless. Anya is nice too and reminds me of Buffy.

Charlottejbt · 31/12/2020 19:40

Anna is easier and is so classic.

I agree.

danascully96 · 31/12/2020 19:26

Anna nn Anya! Anya is one letter away from Tanya.

I do love Anna because it’s happy and bright and international with the cute nn Annie, but I sometimes wonder if it’s frumpy sounding? I’m not sure, but Anya as a nn would make it sound exciting for sure! ❤️

micc · 31/12/2020 08:16

Anya! It was on my list for both DDs. I love the name Anastasia with Anya for nn. But I hesitated as I really dont like the name Annie and I would worry people would call her that.
Anna is nice but common imo. My vote in Anya 100%

MercyBodle · 31/12/2020 03:09

Both lovely - this is a hard one. I probably slightly prefer Anna, but if popularity was an issue I'd probably choose Anya. I do like that Anya is a bit different.

Bruce2 · 30/12/2020 21:26

Anna

Anya ok too but Anna just so much prettier

Firebird83 · 30/12/2020 20:45

Anna is much nicer.

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 30/12/2020 17:57

Anna is much more classic/timeless, Anya is more fun and exotic sounding in the UK. If it were me, I'd put Anna on the BC (it won't date, and travels well) but call her Anya - as Anya is a nn/pet name for Anna in many countries.

SemperIdem · 30/12/2020 13:24

Anna is boring. And now runs the risk of being pronounced Arna thanks to Frozen.

I like Anya.

I’d probably go with Anne nn Annie when little. Appreciate that is not a name you’re actually considering though.

Original poster
Whatdayisit76 · 30/12/2020 12:55

Thankyou for your responses so far, I'm not sure if were any closer to deciding yet. I do wonder if I perhaps prefer Anya just because I don't know anybody with this name, rather than because its a nicer sounding name. When I say them out loud I do feel Anna sounds prettier, and agree it is very classic. Weve got lots of thinking to do..

OP posts:
partyatthepalace · 30/12/2020 12:18

Anna - not esp common right now and beautiful /international.

I don’t mind Anya, but I think it’s less beautiful and not especially unusual so can’t see any benefit really.

Nell96 · 30/12/2020 11:58

Anya! Or Annabel, as pp suggested. Agree that Anna sounds dull.

EileenGC · 30/12/2020 11:50

I like both, but I prefer Anna.

JustanotherTuesday · 30/12/2020 11:48

What about Annabella or Annabelle ? I think they are lovely and you could still use Anna as a nn or the full name.

sandandso · 30/12/2020 11:35

They're both nice. Anya is, of course, the Russian nickname for Anna. So, I guess you could do Anna with nickname Anya, if pre-planned nicknames are your thing, but it might come off as a bit strange if you're not from a Russian/Slavic background.

Anna's the more versatile of the two, very international. I think any name would stop being bland and start feeling special once it's on your daughter.