Nan is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Nan means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Nan across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Nan has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Nan is a girl name of Hebrew origin meaning “grace, favor”. A pet form of Ann or Nancy.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 10,274 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 21 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 21 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Nan per year, United States (1880 to 2022). United States peaked in 1947 (255/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2023 (5/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (3/yr).
Nan has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1947, when it ranked #934 nationally (given to 255 babies that year).
Nina · Nannie · Nona · Nena · Nanie · Nana · Noni · Nino
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