Anya

Anya is a feminine given name. It is also found as a surname.

Origins and variant forms

People with the given name Anya

Anya Jenkins

Anyanka "Anya" Christina Emmanuella Jenkins is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She also appears in the comic book series based on the television show. Portrayed by Emma Caulfield, the character appears as a guest star in the third and fourth seasons of the show before becoming a series regular in the show's fifth, sixth, and seventh season. The character made her last television appearance in 2003, appearing in the series finale of the show that aired on May 20, 2003. A consistent idiosyncrasy of the character is her ever-changing hair color and style, something she humorously alludes to herself.

Within the series' narrative, Anya was originally a human named Aud, but spent over a thousand years as Anyanka, a vengeance demon, wreaking havoc by granting the wishes of women who had been wronged by men. The character becomes human again in her first appearance, and is forced to learn what it means to be human again in subsequent episodes. Primarily, this is used by the writers for comic relief; Anya has a very poor sense of what behaviors are appropriate, and speaks very bluntly and honestly. However, the writers have also used this for more poignant purposes, such as when Anya finds herself struggling to deal with death. Flashbacks show that Anyanka's manner was much the same before she became a demon. Over a decade after being killed in the series finale, Anya returned as a ghost in the canonical comic book series Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten.

Anna Bogomazova

Anna Bogomazova (born 7 April 1990) is a Russian kickboxer, martial artist, professional wrestler and valet. She worked in WWE competing in their developmental territory NXT Wrestling, under the ring name Anya.

Early life

Bogomazova was born on 7 April 1990 in Voronezh, Russia. At the age of 5 she took up calisthenics, which she studied for seven years. Her parents insisted that she should quit because of her height. From 2003 till 2004, Anna played tennis. At the age of 14 she took up kickboxing. Her styles consist of kickboxing and taekwondo. She eventually earned her black belt in taekwondo.

She graduated from the Voronezh Cooperative Institute and Voronezh State University with the qualifications of a lawyer and a translator in the field of professional communications.

Martial arts career

Kickboxing

Bogomazova began her career in competitive kickboxing in 2004 with Aleksei Dedov as her coach. She has placed second in the Kickboxing World Championship in 2006 and 2008. She has also placed first in the Kickboxing Russian Championship in 2008 and the Kickboxing World Cup in 2011.