Nance

Nance is an English given name that originated as a medieval pet form of Ann, itself derived from the Hebrew Channah, meaning grace or favor. The initial N likely developed through a process called misdivision, where the phrase mine Ann was reinterpreted as mi Nance, a common phenomenon that also produced Nan and Nancy. It was used as an independent name in England from at least the early modern period. Nancy and Nan are its closest relatives, all sharing the same ultimately Semitic root.