Hannah: meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning & origin

What it means

Its Hebrew sense expresses being favoured by God, particularly the blessing of a child in its biblical context.

Where it comes from

Hannah reflects the Hebrew name Hanna and has a long history in Jewish naming traditions.

How it developed

Hannah preserves the Hebrew biblical form Hanna, whose meaning expresses favour from God.

The story

In the biblical narrative, Hannah is the mother of the prophet Samuel. English Puritans adopted this form in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, alongside its continuing use as a Jewish name.

Hannah through the years

Babies since 1880: 466,406; 721 boys · 465,685 girls
Most popular year: 2000; 23,112 babies
2025: 3,973; #56 for girls
2021–25 vs 2016–20: −25%; Easing

Hannah in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1880–2025, per million girls born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

Where it’s given

Most at home inRhode Island, New Hampshire, New Jersey

FewerMore, relative to births Not published

2025 births by state of birth. Tiles are equal-sized so small states stay visible. Highest rates: Rhode Island (20), New Hampshire (21), New Jersey (182), Connecticut (55), Maryland (86).

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 3,973 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 56 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 24.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 23,087 in 2000. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (420). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 402,723 as a first name in 2020; 19,206 as a surname in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Hannah’s family of names

In German usage, Hannah has a diminutive in Hanne. In English usage, Hannah shares an earlier linguistic root with Anna. In English usage, Hannah has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Ana.

Walk Hannah’s family in the name graph

Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Around the world

Hannah has relatives in 21 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.

12 related names in 21 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.

Each dot marks where a language is rooted, not where people with the name live today. Bigger dots hold more names. Dots on the border stand for languages further away. Language locations from Glottolog (CC BY 4.0); map from Natural Earth.

Nicknames & forms 21

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

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Across languages 18

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

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People named Hannah

Characters named Hannah: Hannah Baker (fictional character created by American author Jay Asher).

Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.

Similar names

If you love Hannah, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Hebrew · Biblical

Sibling ideas

Names that share Hannah’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Hannah

A sister for Hannah

Your shortlist

Hannah

Meaning & origin

What it means

Where it comes from

How it developed

The story

Hannah through the years

Where it’s given

By the numbers

Hannah’s family of names

Around the world

Nicknames & forms 21

Across languages 18

See also 24

People named Hannah

Appears in

Similar names

Leah

Anah

Mariah

Michaela

Gabrielle

Hansina

Danielle

Keturah

Sibling ideas

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