Hannan
A name of Semitic origin meaning "blissful, fortunate one".
Name Census estimates that about 587 living Americans carry the first name Hannan. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 78.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Hannan today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hannan births was 1993 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hannan. 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
587
~ 1 in 583,909 Americans
Peak year
1993
30 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,379
Tracked since 1978
Gender
Gender distribution for Hannan
Hannan is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 600 total registrations, 132 (22.0%) were male and 468 (78.0%) were female.
Hannan as a male name
- Ranked #11,379 in 2024
- 6 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2009 (11 births)
Hannan as a female name
- Ranked #12,597 in 2023
- 7 female births in 2023
- Peak: 1998 (25 births)
Popularity
Hannan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hannan from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 181 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Hannan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hannan 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 Hannan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hannans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hannan
The name Hannan has its origins in Arabic culture, dating back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic root word "hanna," which means "to long for" or "to yearn for." The name is believed to have been given to individuals who were deeply devoted to their faith or had a strong desire for spiritual enlightenment.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Hannan can be found in Islamic literature, specifically in the Hadith, which are the recorded sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad. In these texts, Hannan is mentioned as a companion of the Prophet and is praised for his piety and devotion to Islam.
Throughout history, the name Hannan has been borne by several notable figures. One of the most prominent was Hannan ibn Thabit (died 673 CE), an Arab poet who lived during the early days of Islam. He was known for his eloquent verses and his unwavering support for the Prophet Muhammad and the Muslim community.
Another significant figure was Hannan al-Shafi'i (767-820 CE), a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist. He was a leading figure in the development of Islamic jurisprudence and is considered one of the founders of the Shafi'i school of Islamic law, which is one of the four major Sunni schools of jurisprudence.
In the 12th century, Hannan al-Mawsili (1114-1187 CE) was a celebrated Arab musician and composer. He is credited with contributing significantly to the development of Arabic music theory and is regarded as one of the greatest musicians of the medieval Islamic world.
Moving forward in history, Hannan al-Hassani (1805-1882 CE) was a prominent Ottoman scholar and historian from present-day Lebanon. He is best known for his extensive writings on the history of the Arab world and his contributions to the preservation of Arabic literature and culture.
Another notable figure was Hannan al-Jaziri (1899-1979 CE), an influential Islamic scholar and jurist from Syria. He was a prolific writer and is renowned for his book "Al-Fiqh 'ala al-Madhahib al-Arba'ah" (Jurisprudence According to the Four Schools of Law), which is considered a seminal work on Islamic jurisprudence.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Hannan, reflecting its deep-rooted significance in Arabic and Islamic culture.
People
Hannan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hannan 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
Hannan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hannan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 587 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hannan 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 583,909 US residents.
Is Hannan a common name?
We classify Hannan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 600 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hannan most popular?
The single biggest year for Hannan was 1993, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hannan is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hannan a female name?
Yes, 78.0% of people registered as Hannan 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.