Find out how popular the last name Hanna is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hanna.

Hanna, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hanna surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hanna in America

Hanna is the 867th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hanna surname appeared 39,890 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 14 people would have the surname Hanna.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hanna to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hanna

The surname HANNA originated in the Middle East, specifically in regions that are now part of modern-day Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine. It is derived from the Hebrew name Johanan, which means "God is gracious." The name first appeared in biblical times and was quite common among Jews during the period of the Second Temple.

In its earliest forms, the name was written as Yohanan or Yohanen in Hebrew and later as Youhanna or Youhanan in Arabic. As the name spread across the Middle East and Europe, various spellings emerged, including Hanna, Hannah, Hannan, and Hannon.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HANNA can be found in the writings of the 1st-century Jewish historian Josephus, who mentioned a high priest named Ananus (or Hanna) during the time of the Roman occupation of Judea.

In the 12th century, the name HANNA was found in the records of the Knights Templar, a Catholic military order that was active in the Crusades. Several members of the order bore this surname, including a knight named Sire de Hanna who participated in the siege of Acre in 1191.

During the Middle Ages, the name HANNA was also associated with various place names in England and Scotland. For example, the village of Hannath in Northumberland was named after a person called Hanna or Hannan, and the Scottish town of Hannay likely derived its name from the same source.

In the 17th century, a prominent figure named John Hanna (1633-1695) was a Presbyterian minister in Ireland who played a significant role in the Ulster Scots migration to North America. He was known for his opposition to the Church of Ireland and his advocacy for Presbyterian principles.

Another notable bearer of the surname HANNA was William Hanna (1910-2001), an American cartoonist, animator, and co-founder of the Hanna-Barbera animation studio, famous for creating iconic characters such as Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, and The Jetsons.

Other famous individuals with the surname HANNA include:

1. Mark Hanna (1837-1904), an American businessman and political figure who played a crucial role in the presidential campaign of William McKinley.
2. Katharine Hanna (1853-1940), an American educator and activist who fought for women's suffrage and labor rights.
3. Samia Hanna (born 1956), a Lebanese-American writer and human rights activist known for her work on women's issues in the Middle East.
4. Mamdouh Hanna (born 1958), an Egyptian-American engineer and entrepreneur who co-founded the software company Vertical Networks.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hanna

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hanna.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hanna was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hanna has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hanna was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hanna, please contact us.

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