Anu (name)

Last updated November 03, 2025

Anu is a given name and surname found independently in several cultures. The Finnish and Estonian name is derived from the Karelian variant of the name Anna, which became popular after Kersti Bergroth's play Anu ja Mikko of 1932. The Sanskrit name is a short form of Anuradha, Anurag, Anubhooti, etc. The Nigerian name which means 'Mercy', is a short form of Anuoluwa, Anuoluwapo, etc. from the Western Yoruba tribe.

Notable persons

Given name

Indian origin

Anu Aga (born 1942), Indian businesswoman and social worker
Anu Aggarwal (born 1969), former Indian model and actress
Anu Aiyengar, finance professional
Anu Choudhury (born 1979), Indian actress
Anu Elizabeth Jose, Indian Malayalam-language lyricist
Anu Garg (born 1967), American author and speaker
Anu Hasan (born 1968), Indian Tamil-language actress and TV anchor
Anu Lama, Nepalese women's footballer
Anu Malhotra (born 1961), Indian film-maker
Anu Malik (born 1960), Indian Hindi-language music director and singer
Anu Mohan (Malayalam actor), Indian Malayalam-language actor
Anu Mohan (Tamil actor), Indian actor and film maker
Anu Muhammad (born 1956), Bangladeshi economist and political activist
Anu Prabhakar (born 1980), Indian Kannada-language actress
Anu Ramamoorthy, Malaysian actress and model
Anu Ramdas (born 1980), interdisciplinary artist living in Denmark
Anu Singh (born 1972), Australian convicted of the manslaughter of her boyfriend, later became criminologist
Anu Vaidyanathan (born 1983 or 1984), Indian triathlete

Estonian or Finnish origin

Anu Aun (born 1980), Estonian film director, producer and screenwriter
Anu Kaal (born 1940), Estonian opera singer
Anu Kaipainen (1933–2009), Finnish writer
Anu Kaljurand (born 1969), Estonian hurdler
Anu Kalm (born 1960), Estonian graphic artist and illustrator
Anu Koivisto (born 1980), Finnish backstroke swimmer
Anu Korb (born 1950), Estonian folklorist
Anu Lamp (born 1958), Estonian actress
Anu Nieminen (born 1977), Finnish female badminton player
Anu Palevaara (born 1971), Finnish actress, choreographer and dancer
Anu Partanen (born 1975), Finnish journalist and cultural commentator
Anu Pentik (born 1942), Finnish designer
Anu Põder (1947–2013), Estonian sculptor
Anu Realo (born 1971), Estonian psychologist
Anu Saagim (born 1962), Estonian socialite, editor and journalist
Anu Tali (born 1972), Estonian conductor
Anu Vehviläinen (born 1963), Finnish former Minister of Transport
Anu Välba (born 1974), Estonian TV and radio host
Anu Viheriäranta (born 1982), Finnish ballet dancer
Anu Wartiovaara, Finnish biomedical scientist

Other

Anu Solomon (born 1994), American footballer (Hawaiian)
Queen Anu (died 1696), Mongolian noblewoman and warrior
Anu Namshir (born 1991), Mongolian miss and model
Neferkamin Anu, ancient Egyptian pharaoh
Anu or A Nu, a character in the video game The Legend of Sword and Fairy

Surname

Christine Anu (born 1970), Australian pop singer of Torres Strait Islander descent