Annià

This name derives from the Latin “Joannes,” from the Ancient Greek Iōánnēs (Ἰωάννης), which in turn derives from the Hebrew name “Yôchânân / Yehochanan,” meaning “graced by Yahweh, God is gracious.” There are numerous forms of the name in different languages. The gens Annia was a plebeian family of considerable antiquity in Rome. 1) Annianus of Alexandria was a monk who flourished in Alexandria during the pontificate of Theophilus of Alexandria around the beginning of the 5th-century. 2) Titus Annianus was a poet of ancient Rome, who lived in the time of the emperors Trajan and Hadrian and wrote erotic or light verse (ludicra carmina), possibly in the Faliscan language. 3) Annius of Viterbo was an Italian Dominican friar, scholar, and historian, born Giovanni Nanni (Nenni) in Viterbo. He is now remembered for his fabrications.