girl's name
Hannah
HAN-uh
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 597,658
the United States
#56
2025 births
Hannah is a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "grace" or "favor," from Channah. In the First Book of Samuel she prays for a child at Shiloh and her prayer of thanksgiving became a model for later Jewish and Christian liturgy.
- Hannah is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2000, when 23,112 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 834 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Hannah over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,480 |
| 1890s | 3,021 |
| 1900s | 2,605 |
| 1910s | 4,470 |
| 1920s | 3,811 |
| 1930s | 2,126 |
| 1940s | 1,777 |
| 1950s | 1,447 |
| 1960s | 1,369 |
| 1970s | 4,550 |
| 1980s | 32,856 |
| 1990s | 159,027 |
| 2000s | 156,052 |
| 2010s | 64,567 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 26,248 |
What Hannah means
Hannah means grace or favor, from the Hebrew chanan, to be gracious. It is the same root behind John, Joanna, and Anne, all of which express divine graciousness in some form.
Where Hannah comes from
Hannah comes from the Hebrew Channah, from chanan, meaning to show favor or be gracious. In First Samuel she is the childless wife who prays at the sanctuary in Shiloh so fervently that the priest Eli mistakes her for drunk; her son Samuel becomes the prophet who anoints Israel's first kings, and her song of thanksgiving is regarded as an antecedent of the Magnificat in Luke's gospel. The name passed through Greek as Anna and Latin as Anna, producing Anne, Ann, and Annie in English, while the Hebrew form Hannah was adopted directly after the Reformation. Both forms therefore descend from the same original — Anne by the Greek route, Hannah straight from the Hebrew.
Hannah in use
Hannah and Anne are the same name, one taken from Hebrew directly and the other by way of Greek.
How popular is Hannah?
In 2025, Hannah was given to 3,973 babies in the United States, ranking #56 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Hannah is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Hannah
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Hannah also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Hannah over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Hannah
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Hannah in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Hannah
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Hannah — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Hannah
What does the name Hannah mean?
Hannah means "grace" or "favor," from the Hebrew Channah.
Is Hannah the same name as Anna?
Yes. Anna is the Greek form of the Hebrew Channah; English took both routes and kept both names.
Who was Hannah in the Bible?
The mother of the prophet Samuel, whose prayer at Shiloh and song of thanksgiving are recorded in First Samuel.
How popular is the name Hannah?
In 2025, Hannah was given to 3,973 babies in the United States, ranking #56 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Hannah a girl's or a boy's name?
Hannah is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Hannah?
Hannah has 2 syllables.
When was Hannah most popular?
Hannah peaked in 2000, when 23,112 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Hannah?
Hannah is usually shortened to Han, Hannie and Annie.
Is Hannah a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Hannah currently ranks #21 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.