Hansen
A masculine Scandinavian name derived from the given name Hans or Johann, meaning "God is gracious".
Name Census estimates that about 828 living Americans carry the first name Hansen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hansen today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hansen births was 2016 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hansen. 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
828
~ 1 in 413,955 Americans
Peak year
2016
36 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,341
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Hansen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hansen from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 219 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Hansen remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hansen 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 Hansen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hansens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hansen
Hansen is a given name that originated from the Old Norse language. It is a compound name that combines the elements "hans" meaning "Hans" or "Johannes" and "son" meaning "son of". This suggests that the name was initially used as a patronymic, indicating the person was the son of someone named Hans or Johannes.
The name can be traced back to the Viking Age, which lasted from the late 8th century to the late 11th century. During this period, the Vikings, who were Scandinavian seafarers, traders, and raiders, traveled widely across Europe and beyond. It is likely that the name Hansen was brought to various regions by these Vikings and their descendants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hansen can be found in the Icelandic sagas, which are prose narratives written in the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas provide insights into the lives and adventures of prominent figures from the Viking Age and the early medieval period in Iceland.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Hansen. One of the most famous was Peter Andreas Hansen (1795-1874), a Danish astronomer and mathematician known for his contributions to celestial mechanics and the study of comets. Another prominent figure was Hans Christian Hansen (1803-1883), a Danish sculptor who created numerous works of art, including the famous Hercules and Hebe statue in Copenhagen.
In the realm of exploration, Godfred Hansen (1876-1937) was a Norwegian explorer who participated in several Antarctic expeditions, including Roald Amundsen's successful journey to the South Pole in 1911. Armin Hansen (1886-1957), on the other hand, was a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction of Berlin after World War II.
More recently, James Hansen (born 1941) is an American scientist and climate activist who has made significant contributions to the study of global warming and its impact on the environment. His work has been instrumental in raising awareness about the urgent need for action to address climate change.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Hansen throughout history, showcasing its diverse cultural and geographical reach.
People
Hansen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hansen 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
Hansen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hansen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 828 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hansen 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 413,955 US residents.
Is Hansen a common name?
We classify Hansen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 852 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hansen most popular?
The single biggest year for Hansen was 2016, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hansen is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hansen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hansen 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.
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.