Name of the Week

 

A sprightly continental form of steadfast Anne.

 

Origin:

Annika is a Scandinavian, Dutch and German diminutive of Anna, a Hellenised and Latinised form of the Hebrew Hannah.  Hannah is mentioned in the Old Testament as the mother of Samuel. Although the name only appears in one book of the Old Testament*, attributed to one character, it is closely related to the masculine name Hanani, which was borne by several Israelite figures and translates as "(God) has dealt graciously with me." Both names derive from the Hebrew חָנַן (hanan) meaning "show favour, to be gracious, grant mercifully, to be compassionate." Samuel's mother was most likely given this name because it is believed she was mercifully shown favour by God when she was finally able to conceive. The Hebrew word for "grace" or "favour" — which Hannah is often erroneously said to mean — is חֵן (hen): a related word but not, ultimately, Hannah's source.

Usage:

Anna, or Anne, first became popular as a name in the 14th century, when the cult of St Anna (St Anne in English) became widely established and flourished across Europe. St Anne is the traditional (and apocryphal) name of the mother of the Virgin Mary, and her popular veneration is the reason why Anna/e became one of the most popular feminine names in Europe by the 16th century.  Naturally, such a widely popular name led to a variety of diminutives. Annie and Nan were developed in Britain; Annette and Anouk in France; and Anoushka and Anya in Russia. Annika was a popular diminutive of Anna in Scandinavia, Germany and Holland — and, like most diminutives, it eventually became established as a name in its own right.  One of the earliest recorded forms of the name, found in a Swedish document from 1387*, is Anneken. This developed into Anneke, Annecke and Anneka, and all four were used throughout the 15th century in Scandinavian, Germany and Holland. The spelling Annika is now the most commonly used across Europe, reaching a peak its in popularity in Sweden in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.  Despite its popularity in Scandinavian and German-speaking countries, Annika was little used in Britain until the 1960s, growing to reach a peak in the 1980s. It has never been in the Top 100 in the UK charts but has maintained a steady usage in the last decade.  In 1996 in England and Wales, Annika ranked #1296 (14 births), Anika ranked #506 (52 births) and Anneka ranked #1222 (15 births). In 2002 Annika ranked #799 (31 births), Anika ranked #398 (83 births) and Anneka ranked #1245 (16 births). In 2011, Annika ranked #1043 with 33 births. Anika ranked #545 (76 births) and Anneka was #4764 (4 births).

Famous Bearers:

History: * Anneke Esaiasdochter, or Anna Jansz (1509—1539), a Dutch Anabaptist who was executed for heresy and later considered a Protestant martyr.  Contemporary: * Annika Sörenstam (b.1970), Swedish professional golfer. * Anneka Rice (b.1958), British presenter.  * Annika Reeder (b.1979), former British Olympic gymnast. Literature and Other Media: * Annika Settergren, a friend of Pippi Longstocking in Astrid Lindgren's children's books.  * Annika Hansen "Seven of Nine", a character in Sci-Fi series Star Trek Voyager.  * Princess Annika, the heroine in Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus. Other: * 817 Annika, asteroid discovered in 1912 by German astronomer Max Wolf.

Variants:

Anika, Anneka, Annica, Anka, Anica, Anniken

Pronunciation:

AN-i-ka  [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Annie, Anya, Ina, Kia, Kiki, Nia, Nika, Nikki, Nina

Sibling Names:

Madelief     Celina     Ramona     Larissa     Theresa     Leonie  Ruben      Lucas     Jonas     Marcus     Roman     Matthias

Name Lists:

Slickly Continental

 

If you like Annika you may also like:   Maiken, Anya, Soraya, Bianca, Mariska, Linnea, Anezka, Amandine, Zoraida, Inka

 

Thanks to Maike for requesting Annika as this week's NotW.