Hanah
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "grace" or "favor".
Name Census estimates that about 1,999 living Americans carry the first name Hanah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hanah today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hanah births was 2001 (118 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hanah. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
2.0K
~ 1 in 171,463 Americans
Peak year
2001
118 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,604
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Hanah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hanah from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 839 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hanah by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Hanah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hanahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Hanah, while West Virginia, Virginia, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 32 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hanah
The name Hanah is a Hebrew name derived from the biblical figure Hannah, who appears in the Old Testament's Books of Samuel. Hannah was the devoted wife of Elkanah and the mother of the prophet Samuel. The name is a variant spelling of the original Hebrew name Channah, which means "grace" or "favor."
In the biblical account, Hannah was initially barren but fervently prayed to God for a child. Her prayers were answered, and she conceived and gave birth to Samuel, whom she dedicated to the service of God. Hannah's story is celebrated as an example of unwavering faith and perseverance.
The name Hanah gained popularity among Jewish communities and later spread to other cultures and religions. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Old Testament, where Hannah is mentioned as the mother of Samuel, who became a prominent prophet and judge in ancient Israel.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Hanah or its variants. One example is Hanah Senesh (1921-1944), a Hungarian-born Jewish poet, and paratrooper who fought in the Jewish resistance during World War II. She was captured by the Nazis and executed for her involvement in the resistance movement.
Another famous Hanah was Hanah Javaneh (1931-2003), an Iranian actress and singer who became a prominent figure in the Iranian cinema industry during the mid-20th century. She was known for her versatile acting skills and her powerful vocal abilities.
In the religious realm, Hanah Rountre (1625-1678) was a prominent Quaker leader and preacher in England during the 17th century. She played a significant role in spreading the Quaker faith and advocating for religious tolerance.
Hanah Holborn (1902-1975) was a renowned German-American historian and scholar who specialized in the history of the Renaissance and Reformation periods. She taught at prestigious universities such as Yale and Stanford and made significant contributions to historical research.
Finally, Hanah Bouton (1892-1983) was an American aviator and one of the first women to earn a pilot's license in the United States. She was a pioneering figure in the early days of aviation and played a crucial role in promoting women's participation in the field.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Hanah throughout history, highlighting the name's rich cultural and historical significance across various contexts and eras.
People
Hanah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hanah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hanah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hanah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,999 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hanah going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 171,463 US residents.
Is Hanah a common name?
We classify Hanah as "Rare". It ranks above 93.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,047 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hanah most popular?
The single biggest year for Hanah was 2001, when 118 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hanah is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hanah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hanah in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.