Anah is a unisex name of Hebrew origin, appearing in the Old Testament. Its meaning is commonly given as "answer" from Hebrew anah (עָנָה). However, the name also shares form with the ancient town of Anah on the Euphrates, whose name is linked to the Canaanite and later Mesopotamian war-goddess Anat. In Biblical contexts, Anah is notably used for both a female character and two male characters (Genesis 36:20, Genesis 36:25), suggesting a coincidental convergence of meanings. Biblical Bearers In the Bible, Anah is mentioned as a Horite chief, the father of Oholibamah (one of Esau’s wives), and also as a daughter of Zibeon. The male Anah is described as a son of Seir and a chief of the Horites (Genesis 36:20-29), while the female Anah appears in Genesis 36:2 and Genesis 36:14. The limited genealogical data make it difficult to separate the two figures, leading to interpretive challenges that are often discussed in Biblical scholarship. The Historical Name and Place Anah also refers to an ancient town on the Euphrates (modern-day Iraq), known as Ana or 'Ana. The town's name dates back to the Old Babylonian period, where it appears in cuneiform texts as (d)Ha-na-at. During the Neo-Assyrian period, scribes of Tukulti-Ninurta (c. 885 BC) recorded it as A-na-at of the land Suhum, and later as An-at by Assur-nasir-pal II (879 BC). Classical accounts refer to it as Anatha or Anathō. The etymological link to the goddess Anat (a major Canaanite and later Egyptian war-goddess) suggests a cultic origin for the settlement. Some late Roman Christian sources call it Anna, but the indigenous Arabic traditions maintain the name 'Āna or 'Ānāt. Medieval and Modern Periods During the Islamic period, Anah remained an transit point on the Silk Road and later a district capital. Its archaeology includes a double-carved Roman tomb and Islamic remains. Today the area is affected by the Rawa Hydroelectric Dam, which floods old ruins. Despite strong linguistic evidence of its ancient attestation, the name Anah remains rare as a given name outside Biblical usage. Related Forms and Etymology The Biblical Hebrew form of the name is 'Ana (אֲנָה). Doubts about the gender of some recorded Anahs in Scripture (Genesis 36:2 and 1 Chronicles 1:40) are eliminated by modern translations, but debate in Hebrew vowel pointing yields no unified explanation. Anah has occasionally been linked with the root for “to sing” or “answer, reiterate” (as part of Hophal participle), but most dictionaries project a Canaanite borrowing for the town-name and merely the cognate feminine noun for the personal name. Other linguistic cognates with the Hittite that gave rise to English hanimi (meaning brother?) fall outside standard etymology. Meaning: "answer", possibly connected to the goddess Anat (place-name) Origin: Hebrew Type: Biblical unisex Usage regions: English Bible, Biblical context