Recorded as Aney, Anney, Annice, Anning, and Annis, this interesting surname is said to be of English, Irish or French origin. Firstly, it may be a patronymic of the personal name Anne, which may have been habitational from a village called Ann in the county of Hampshire, or secondly it could be from the Olde English Annach or the Gaelic O h'Annaigh, meaning the male descendant of Annaigh, a byname translating as "iniquity", or thirdly it may be derived from the Hebrew name "Chane", meaning "God has favoured me with a child". Lastly the name may be a patronymic of the French female personal name "Agnes", deriving from the Greek "hagnos" meaning "pure or sacred". Only a handful of surnames surviving were derived from the name of the first bearer's mother, because European society has been patriarchal since the development of surnames in the 13th century. Early examples of the surname recordings include: Henry Aney who married Mary Shaw at Sty Andrews, Enfield, in Middlesex, on May 22nd 1606, Ricard annis who married Mary matthews at St Peters church, Pauls Wharf, on May 1st 1657, John Anney, who married Mary Browe, at St Dunstans in the East, Stepney, on August 8th 1720 and the two daughters of William and Margaret Anning, who were christened at St. Clement Danes, Westminster. Frances being christened on October 23rd 1732, and Fanny Maria on April 7th 1735. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.