'Anahit' originates from Old Iranian/ Avestan, specifically the word 'Anahita', where the element 'an-' meant 'not' (negative) and 'ahita' meant 'defiled/impure' in a negated sense yielding 'undefiled' or 'pure'.

'Anahit' changed from the Avestan name 'Anahita' through Middle Iranian forms and was adopted into Armenian as 'Անահիտ' (Anahit/Anahid), eventually entering English usage as the proper name 'Anahit'.

Initially, the name meant 'undefiled' or 'pure' in the Avestan/Iranian religious context; over time it became associated primarily with the water/fertility goddess and then used widely as a female personal name.