Hannah Name Meaning: An Elegant Choice For Your Princess

Overview

What’s the meaning of the name Hannah? This beautiful name has several meanings, including “graceful one,” “favor,” “grace,” or “God is merciful.”

Is it a biblical name, and where did it come from? What are the variations and nicknames for Hannah? Find out below.

What’s Special About Hannah?

Although Hannah isn’t in the top 10 most popular girl names in the US, it remains a crowd favorite (in the top 50) based on the 2022 data from the SSA (Social Security Administration). (1)

This might be attributed to the name’s beautiful meanings, and also to several celebrities or fictional characters.

For example, Hannah Montana is the main character of the TV show starring Miley Cyrus.

Famous real-life celebrities named Hannah include American actress Hannah Dakota Fanning and Instagram star Hannah Stocking.

Information About Hannah

Hannah Name Meaning, Origin, & History

Hannah Hebrew Name Meaning

Hannah is a beautiful name of Hebrew origin. It can mean:

“Graceful one”
“Favor”
“Grace”
“God is merciful”
“Gift of God’s favor”
“God has favored me with a child”

It comes from the Hebrew name Channah, meaning “grace.”

What Does Hannah Mean Spiritually?

As a biblical girl name, Hannah is identified as the wife of Elkanah and mother of the prophet Samuel in the Old Testament.

Aside from its Hebrew variation, Hannah also has other spelling versions as an Asian or Arabic girl name.

Does Hannah Mean Beautiful?

Not exactly. This popular name can mean “grace” or “graceful one,” but it doesn’t translate to “beautiful.”

Hannah English Name Meaning

“Grace” or “favor”

Pronunciation

“han-uh”

Is Hannah A Last Name?

Yes. It’s an Irish and Scottish last name, which can also be transformed into “Hanna.”

What’s the Gender Of Hannah?

Hannah is traditionally considered a female name. However, some male variants might also have similar spellings or meanings (e.g., “Hans” and “Hansel”).

When Was Hannah First Used As A Name?

The exact year that Hannah appeared isn’t known. Since it’s a variant of the Hebrew name “Channah” and was used in the Bible (in the Old Testament), it must have been around for at least 2,000 years.

US Stats: Is The Name Hannah Popular?

Hannah Popularity Trend Over The Years

Hannah* has been in the top 50 most popular girl names in the US since 2008. It was more popular in the early 2000s, ranking within the top 10 for several years. (1)

It has also been on the list of 100 favorite names in the US since 1986.

*You can search for name popularity on the SSA’s website (ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/index.html) under “Items of Interest.”

Hannah Popularity In US States

Hannah isn’t in the Top 5 list of the most popular girl names by state in the US in 2021 (latest SSA data). (2)

FAQs About Hannah Name Meaning

Is Hannah A Beautiful Name?

Some parents believe Hannah is a beautiful name. While it doesn’t mean “beautiful,” it means “graceful.”

What Does Hannah Mean Biblically?

In the Bible, Hannah is known as the first and favorite wife of a man named Elkanah, but she wasn’t able to bear him a child. She constantly felt sad because Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah, bore him “many sons and daughters.”

The exact number of Peninnah’s children is unknown. Still, several passages in the Bible indicate that Elkanah would often comfort Hannah because his second wife would regularly provoke her for not having children.

Hannah became more prayerful because of her situation. In her prayers, she promised God that if her prayer is granted, she’ll give her child back to Him for the rest of his life.

Through this prayer, she became the mother of the prophet Samuel, one of the prominent figures in the Old Testament.

As promised, she brought him to the temple after he was weaned. He lived there for the rest of his life.

What’s Hannah’s Personality?

Hannah can be considered graceful and prayerful.

Hannah Girl Name Variations

Anabel
Anca
Ani
Anica
Anicah
Anika
Anikah
Aniqua
Aniquah
Anita
Anke
Ann
Anna
Annabel
Annabella
Annabelle
Annchen
Anne
Anneka
Annette
Annia
Annice
Annie
Annis
Annuska
Annys
Anushka
Anya
Anyca
Anycah
Anyka
Anykah
Anyqua
Anyquah
Bella
Chana
Chanah
Channa
Channah
Hana
Hania
Hanita
Hanka
Hanna
Hanne
Hannele
Hannia
Hanniah
Hannicka
Hannya
Johanna

Hannah Unisex & Boy Name Variations

Hans
Hansel

What Are Nicknames For Hannah?

Ana
Ann
Anna
Anne
Annie
Grace
Gracie
Han
Hannie
Nah-nah

Names You Can Pair With Hannah

Middle Names For Girls To Pair With Hannah

Abigail
Celeste
Elizabeth
Janet
Janine
Michal
Rose
Ruth
Sophia

Suggested Twin Or Sibling Names

Hannah’s Sister Names

Belle
Beth
Bethany
Emily
Grace
Heidi
Helena
Kate
Leah
Madeline
Nancy
Rebecca
Ruth
Sadie
Sarah

Hannah’s Brother Names

Alexander
Andrew
Daniel
David
Elijah
Hansel
Henry
Hunter
Ivan
Liam
Matthew
Noah
Owen
William

Rhyming Or Similar Names

Amla
Aniya
Annamaria
Jana
Janey
Janna
Laney
Lexi
Nena
Rashona
Reda
Takisha

Other Baby Girl Names That Start with H

Hagar
Hailey
Harmony
Harriet
Hazel
Heather
Helen
Henrietta
Hera
Hope
Hosanna
Hyacinth

Famous Hannah Celebrities & Figures

Anna Therese Johanne “Hannah” Hoch – German artist
Hannah Adams – 18th Century American author
Hannah Angela Kearney – American Olympic mogul skier
Hannah Arendt – German-American historian
Hannah Blessing Wood – American actress
Hannah Bolton Hooper – Musical (vocals and keyboard) of American band “Grouplove”
Hannah Brown – TV personality in season 15 of “The Bachelorette”
Hannah Campbell Grant Gordon – Scottish actress
Hannah Cohen – American singer
Hannah Dakota Fanning – American actress best known simply as “Dakota Fanning”
Hannah Davis – American fashion model
Hannah Gadsby – Comedian from Australia
Hannah Georgas – Canadian singer
Hannah Jacklin – American child model
Hannah Louise Spearitt – English actress
Hannah Lynn Storm – American TV journalist
Hannah Marie Tointon – English actress
Hannah Maud Hart – American vlogger
Hannah More – English religious author and philanthropist
Hannah Primrose – Countess of Rosebery (one-time richest woman in Britain)
Hannah Rose Ware – English model and actress
Hannah Rylee – TikTok star
Hannah Simone – Canadian actress
Hannah Stocking Siagkris – Internet star and actress
Hannah Storm – American journalist
Hannah Szenes – British World War II paratrooper
Hannah Teter – American snowboarder
Hannah Tinti – American novelist
Hannah Trigwell – English singer
Hannah Wilke (real name Arlene Hannah Butter) – American painter
Hannah Yelland (real name Hannah Elizabeth Roberts) – British actress

Famous Annas & Other Name Variations

Anna Nicole Smith – American model

Fictional Characters Named Hannah In Pop Culture & Fiction

Hanna Marin – Character in the TV series and novel, “Pretty Little Liars”
Hannah – Character in the movie “Made of Honor” (2008)
Hannah – Main character in “Hannah and Her Sisters” movie
Hannah – Main character in the folk tale “The Clever Girl”
Hannah “Nana” Weaver – Character in “Crazy, Stupid, Love”
Hannah “Narnie” Schroeder – Character in “On the Jellicoe Road”
Hannah Abbott – Character in the “Harry Potter” series
Hannah Anafeloz – Anime girl name after a character in the manga/anime “Kuroshitsuji /Black Butler”
Hannah Ashworth – Character in the British TV series “Hollyoaks”
Hannah Baker – Character in “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher
Hannah Baxter – Character in TV series “Secret Diary of a Call Girl”
Hannah Burley – Character on TV series “Bones”
Hannah Diamant – Character in manga/anime “Attack on Titan”
Hannah Horvath – Main character in “Girls”
Hannah Jarvis – Character in “Arcadia” by Tom Stoppard
Hannah Javensen – Character in “The Face on the Milk Carton”
Hannah Jelkes – Character in Tennessee Williams’ “Night of the Iguana“
Hannah McKay – Character in the TV series “Dexter”
Hannah Montana – Character from the Disney Channel TV show “Hannah Montana” (played by Miley Cyrus)
Hannah Rayburn – Character in “State of Grace”
Hannah Rosso – Character in the children’s novel “10 Kids, No Pets”, by Ann M Martin
Hannah Tupper – Character in “The Witch of Blackbird Pond”
Hannah Washington – Character in video game “Until Dawn”

Celebrities Who Chose Hannah Names For Their Babies

Hannah Gibson – Actor Mel Gibson’s daughter
Hannah Jane Shepherd – Daughter of actors Sam Shepherd and Jessica Lange
Hannah Joy Gosselin – Daughter of American TV personalities Jon & Kate Gosselin
Hannah Kathryn Hader – Comedian Bill Hader’s daughter
Hannah Mali Rose – American actress Sarah Drew’s daughter

Celebrities With Hannah As Last Name

John Hannah – Scottish actor (he starred in the movie “Four Weddings and a Funeral”)
Page Hannah – American former TV and film actress
Taylor Hannah – American fashion model and voice actress

Hannah In Songs

“Alabama Hannah” – Jake Owen
“Go Down Old Hannah” – Harry Belafonte
“Hannah” – Freelance Whales
“Hannah” – Kissinger
“Hannah” – Ray LaMontagne
“Hannah” – Band SWMRS
“Hannah and Gabi” – The Lemonheads
“Hannah Hold On” – The Get Up Kids
“Hannah Hunt” – a song by the band Vampire Weekend
“Hannah’s Song” – Caroline Smith
“Mojo Hannah” – Aaron Neville

Name Lists With “Hannah” On Motherhood Community

Other Baby Name Meanings

You can also find ideas from the top 15 baby name generators.

Baby Name Lists By Letter

Other Resources For Pregnant Moms

References

(1) https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/index.html

(2) https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/state/top5_2021.html