Ann

I didn't like the name "Ann" until I learned of its Biblical meaning and origin. Ann is short for Hannah, which means "grace" and "favor." The story of Hannah is recorded in the first and second chapters of I Samuel. She was a godly woman who was barren. She prayed and made a vow to God that if He would give her a son, she would give him to the Lord. God showed her favor and she conceived. After her son Samuel was born and weaned, she took him to the Temple in Shiloh and presented him to the Lord. God was pleased and graciously granted her five more children. Samuel lived in the Temple, becoming the last of Israel's judges and its first official prophet. Hannah's famous prayer, recorded in I Samuel 2: 1-11, is often compared to the Virgin Mary's prayer in Luke 1: 46-56. Ann (without the silent "e") and Anna fit neatly in the middle of Hannah. Ann is anything but plain and boring as some have suggested. The name Ann and its variations give glory and honor to God.

Ann is also an Old Greek name meaning 'flowery, blossom'.