Anise is a unique and beautiful name of Greek origin that means "gillyflower" or "hibiscus". It was popularized by the French writer Marcel Proust who used it in his famous novel "In Search of Lost Time". The name Anise is also associated with the spice aniseed, which gives it a sweet and aromatic quality. Throughout history, this name has been used for both males and females, but it is more commonly associated with women today. Despite its rarity, Anise is a timeless name that evokes images of beauty, grace, and elegance.
The name Anise experienced varied popularity over the past century and a half, with birth numbers fluctuating considerably from year to year. While there were several years with no recorded births bearing this name, it became more popular around the mid-20th century, reaching its peak in the early 1950s with 17 births in 1956. Since then, it has maintained a relatively steady level of popularity, with an average of about 13 births per year from 1980 onwards. However, there have been some notable recent spikes, such as 23 births in both 2001 and 2010, suggesting that the name Anise continues to be chosen for newborns today. In total, over 1228 babies named Anise were born between 1893 and 2023.