I have never heard that this name is of German origin (I believe it is more ancient than that, like Latin...). It is a combination of two names, and can be hyphenated, like mine, separated by a space, or combined into one continuous name seen here. "Anne", meaning "bitter", w/ an alternate meaning being s/t like "star of the sea", or "of the sea", was the mother of Mary in the Christian Bible. Da Vinci created a famous sketch depicting a grown Mary on the lap of her mother. "Marie", meaning "grace", derives from the name Mary from the Bible. So it means "of bitter grace", which I take to mean, in my life at least, that there is often a bittersweet quality to life, and grace often comes after we endure great trials and periods of great confusion, spiritual darkness, and the inevitable losses and traumas of life. Since grace can't be forced or predicted, it is that much more extraordinary, as it comes when we least expect it. So bitterness is a part of being prepared for Grace.

I love my name, chosen by my Swedish mom and my Irish/Sicilian Dad. It is classic, fairly unique in my area at least, and has religious/spiritual significance to me. My middle name is Victoria, which I also love as it means "victory" and balances my first name well.