Anson
Meaning of Anson
Anson is an English patronymic that literally means “son of Ann,” though etymologists occasionally argue for Andrew or even Agnes—proof that naming may be the oldest family dispute on record. Promoted from surname to given name after Admiral George Anson’s celebrated 18th-century voyage, it crossed the Atlantic with colonists and has lingered in U.S. birth records ever since, peaking at a modest No. 441 in 1914 and settling into the comfortable 600–800 band in recent decades (No. 790 in 2024). The name’s appeal lies in its trim, two-syllable cadence, its built-in nickname “Sonny,” and a faint whiff of sea spray that never quite evaporates. American history supplies a few footnotes—Anson Jones, last president of the Republic of Texas, and baseball pioneer “Cap” Anson—yet the moniker has largely avoided celebrity congestion, maintaining what marketers might call “exclusivity through understatement.” For parents seeking a classic that feels quietly self-assured rather than fashion-driven, Anson fits the brief with nautical neatness.
Pronunciation
English
- Pronunced as AN-suhn (/ænˈsɑn/)
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Notable People Named Anson
| Anson Chan is a retired Hong Kong politician who became the first woman and ethnic Chinese person to serve as Chief Secretary. |
| Anson Phelps Stokes was a wealthy American merchant, banker, property developer, genealogist and philanthropist from New York City. |
| Anson Dorrance is a retired American soccer coach who led the University of North Carolina women to 21 NCAA championships. |
| Anson Lo is a Hong Kong singer, dancer and actor best known as a member of the boy band Mirror. |
| Anson Green Phelps was an American entrepreneur from Connecticut who cofounded the trading company Phelps, Dodge and Co. in 1833. |
| Anson Burlingame was an American lawyer, abolitionist, and diplomat who helped secure the landmark 1868 Burlingame Treaty between the United States and China. |
| Anson Jones was an American doctor, businessman, and the fourth and final president of the Republic of Texas. |
| Anson Mount is an American actor known for his roles in Hell on Wheels, Conviction, and Crossroads. |
| Anson Williams is an American actor best known for playing the lovable singer Potsie Weber on Happy Days, a role that earned him a Golden Globe nomination. |
| Anson Frank Rainey was a professor and scholar known for his research on the Amarna tablets and the languages and cultures of biblical lands. |
| Anson Kong, also known as AK, is a Hong Kong singer, dancer and actor best known as a member of the boy group Mirror. |
| Anson Funderburgh is an American blues guitarist who has led his band the Rockets since 1978 with a sound that blends Chicago and Texas blues. |
| Anson Mills was a US Army officer and surveyor who named and laid out El Paso in Texas and later grew rich from inventing a woven cartridge belt. |
| Anson Phelps Stokes Jr. was an American clergyman, historian and philanthropist who championed education and civil rights. |
| Anson Sprague Wood was a New York lawyer and politician. |
