Frequency: (2262)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. Basque: from Basque Anaia, from anai ‘brother’ + the definite article (suffixed) -a. In Basque this was used both as a byname and as a personal name.
2. Spanish: habitational name from either of two places called Anaya, in Salamanca and Segovia provinces. The place name is probably of Arabic origin.
GIVEN NAMES: Spanish 46%; Portuguese 9%. Jose (54), Carlos (31), Jesus (28), Juan (28), Manuel (26), Luis (22), Francisco (14), Miguel (14), Raul (13), Pedro (12), Jorge (10), Arturo (9); Ligia.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
