Nanny

Nanny is an English pet form of Ann, itself derived from the Hebrew Hannah, meaning grace or favour. It developed as a familiar diminutive in the British Isles from the early modern period, following the common pattern of adding an -y or -ie suffix to names beginning with a vowel sound. Because of its widespread use as a term for a children's nursemaid, the name declined as a formal given name over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Related forms include Nan, Nancy, and Anne.