Gender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “resurrection.”
Eng (an-ne-STAY-zha); (ah-na-STAH-zee-a)
The name is derived from the Greek masculine name, Anastasios (Αναστασιος), which is from the Greek (anastasis) αναστασις the word for resurrection.
The name was popularized in the Orthodox Christian world by an early Christian marytr of Dalmatia, revered as the patron saint of weavers. It is borne by several other saints as well.
Usually, the name is bestowed upon children born around the Easter season, currently, Anastasia is one of the most popular female names in Russia and in other former Soviet countries. Its rankings are as follows:
- # 1 (Belarus, 2011)
- # 1 (Moldova, 2008)
- # 1 (Ukraine, 2010)
- # 2 (Russia, 2011)
- # 3 (Estonia, 2011)
- # 3 (Latvia, 2011)
- # 5 (Georgia, 2011)
- # 12 (Kazakhstan, 2010)
- # 364 (United States, 2010)
- # 461 (France, 2009)
In the English-speaking world, the name was occasionally used in the Middle Ages in its archaic English forms of Anastice or Anstice (AN-ne-stis); (AN-stis). It was never very common and was only re-introduced into the English-speaking world via Eastern European immigrants in the United States starting in the late 19th-century.
In the Western World, the name is most famously associated with the youngest daughter of the Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, who was rumored to have survived the massacre of her family.
The designated name-days are: December 25 (Germany/Poland), December 22 (Greece), January 4 (Russia), February 4 (Russia), February 27 (Poland), April 15 (Czech Republic/Hungary/Poland), April 30 (Slovakia), August 17 (Poland) and November 11 (Lithuania/Poland/Russia).
Other forms of the name include:
- Anastasiya Анастасия (Bulgarian/Russian/Ukrainian: a-nah-stas-SEE-ya)
- Anastàsia (Catalan)
- Anastasija Анастаија Анастасія (Belorusian/Croatian/Latvian/Lithuanian/Macedonian/Serbian/Slovene)
- Asja (Croatian/Bosnian)
- Anastazie (Czech)
- Anastázie (Czech: ah-nah-STAHZ-ye)
- Anastasia ანასთასია (Dutch/English/Estonian/Galician/Georgian/German/Greek/Italian/Romanian/Scandinavian/Spanish)
- Anastasie (French: a-na-stah-ZEE)
- Anastace/Anstice (English: archaic)
- Nastassja (German/Rusyn)
- Anasztázia (Hungarian)
- Nasztázia (Hungarian)
- Neszta (Hungarian)
- Anastasía (Icelandic)
- Nastachu Настачи (Mari)
- Nastasu Настаси (Mari)
- Anastazja (Polish: a-na-STAHZ-yah)
- Nastazja (Polish)
- Anastásia (Portuguese)
- Anna Staschia (Romansch)
- Staschia (Romansch)
- Stasia (Romansch)
- Anastázia (Slovak)
Czech/Slovak diminutives are: Anaska, Anastazka, Anastázička, Anuška, Nasťa, Nastička, Nastík, Staci, Stasa, Staska, Stáza, Stázi, Stazinka, Tazia.
English short forms are: Ana, Annie, Stacey and Tacey.
Greek diminutives are: Natasa, Sia, Tasia , Tasoula.
Polish diminutives are: Ania, Anka, Nastka, Nastusia, Stasia, Staska, Tusia.
Russian diminutives are: Anya, Asya, Nastasya, Nasten’ka, Nastya, Nastyona, Nastyuha, Stasya
Masculine forms include:
- Anastas Анастас (Bulgarian/Russian)
- Anastazije (Croatian)
- Anastáz/Anastásius (Czech)
- Anastasius (Dutch/Latin)
- Staas (Dutch: originally a diminutive form, used as an independent given name)
- Anastasio (Galician/Italian/Spanish)
- AnastasiosΑναστάσιος (Greek: Modern)
- Anasztáz (Hungarian)
- Anastazy (Polish)
- Anastasi (Romansch)
- AnastasiyАнастасий (Russian/Ukrainian)
Sources
The name has a few different etymologies depending on its source. In Germany, it is a contracted form of 
Gender: Masculine
It was borne by an early Greek Christian saint and martyr.
