Hanniel
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "grace of God".
Name Census estimates that about 104 living Americans carry the first name Hanniel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hanniel today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hanniel births was 2017 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hanniel. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Hanniel with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
104
~ 1 in 3,295,715 Americans
Peak year
2017
13 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2023 SSA rank
#6,661
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Hanniel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hanniel from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 56 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Hanniel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hanniel 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 Hanniel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hanniels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hanniel
The given name Hanniel has its origins in Hebrew, originating from the ancient Semitic languages spoken in the Middle East. The name is derived from the combination of two Hebrew words, "Hanan" meaning "grace" or "favor," and "El," which refers to God or a deity. Thus, the name Hanniel can be interpreted as "God's grace" or "favored by God."
Hanniel is a name mentioned in the Bible, specifically in the Book of Numbers, where it refers to a prince from the tribe of Manasseh during the time of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt and their journey through the wilderness. This biblical reference suggests that the name has been in use since ancient times, at least during the period when the books of the Hebrew Bible were written.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Hanniel was a medieval Jewish scholar and philosopher, Hanniel ben Hushiel, who lived in the 9th century CE in Kairouan, Tunisia. He was known for his contributions to Jewish thought and his commentaries on the Talmud.
In the 16th century, Hanniel Levita, a Jewish grammarian and poet, was born in Italy. He is known for his work on Hebrew grammar and his poetic compositions, which were widely acclaimed during the Renaissance period.
Another notable figure with the name Hanniel was Hanniel Pölchau, a German theologian and educator who lived in the 17th century. He served as a professor at the University of Rostock and contributed to the field of theology through his writings and teachings.
In the 19th century, Hanniel Raphael Ezekiel, an Indian Jewish merchant and philanthropist, played a significant role in the development of the Jewish community in Calcutta (now Kolkata). He founded the Neveh Shalom Synagogue, which remains an important landmark in the city.
While the name Hanniel has its roots in ancient Hebrew, it has been used across various cultures and regions throughout history, with individuals bearing this name making notable contributions in fields such as religion, philosophy, literature, and education.
People
Hanniel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hanniel 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
Hanniel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hanniel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 104 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hanniel 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 3,295,715 US residents.
Is Hanniel a common name?
We classify Hanniel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 105 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hanniel most popular?
The single biggest year for Hanniel was 2017, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hanniel is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Hanniel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hanniel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hanniel in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Hanniel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hanniel in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Hanniel can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Hanniel?
See how many Americans are named Hanniel on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.