Hannah, also spelled Hanna, Hana, or Chana, is a given name. In the Hebrew language, the root of Ḥannah (חַנָּה) means 'favour'; A Dictionary of First Names attributes the name to a word meaning 'He (God) has favoured me [with a child]'.
The Hannah spelling of the name was taken up as a given name by the Puritans in the 16th and 17th centuries, and has always been a common Jewish name. Ann, Anne, Anna, and variants derive from Hannah. The Punic name Hannibal derives, it is supposed, from the same root. Hannah is a palindrome.
In the Books of Samuel, Hannah is the mother of the prophet Samuel. Hannah was infertile, so at temple she prayed that if God gave her a son, she would give him up to become a priest. After many years of praying she was blessed with a son, and named him Samuel. When the child was weaned (around 3 years old), Hannah gave him to Eli to be raised as a priest. She went on to have 5 more children. Hannah is also sometimes given as the name of the Woman with seven sons described in 2 Maccabees.
In 2014, the Social Security Administration ranked Hannah the 23rd most popular name for girls in the United States.http://baby-names.familyeducation.com/name-meaning/hannah
People with the given name Hannah:
Hannah Arendt (1906–1975), German philosopherHannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo (born 1915), businesswoman and politicianHanna Brooman (1809-1887), composer, translator and educatorHannah Callowhill Penn (1671–1727), second wife of William PennHannah Cowley (1743–1809), American dramatist and poetHannah Dakota Fanning American actress, better known as Dakota FanningHannah Duston (1657 – c. 1736) Indian fighter.Hannah Friedman (born 1986), American writer, director, and musicianHannah Gadsby (born 1978), Australian comedianHannah Glasse (1708–1770), English cookbook writerHannah Gordon (born 1941), Scottish actressHannah Harper (born 1982), English pornographic actressHannah Hart (born 1986), American internet personality, comedian, actress and authorHannah Hauxwell (born 1926), Yorkshire Dales farmerHannah Höch (1889–1978), German Dada artistHannah Ild (born 1981), Estonian singerHanna Knyazyeva-Minenko (born 1989), Israeli triple jumper and long jumperHannah Mancini, American-Slovenian singerHannah More (1745–1833), English religious writer and philanthropistHannah Peel (born 1984), Northern Irish musicianHannah Peckham (born 1980), British game show hostHannah Pingree, majority leader from Maine in the United States House of RepresentativesHannah Pritchard (1711–1768), English actressHannah Robinson, British songwriterHannah Spearritt (born 1981) English singer and actressHannah Stockbauer (born 1982), German swimmerHannah Storm (born 1962), American co-host of The Early ShowHannah Szenes (1921–1944), Hungarian Jew arrested during the Second World WarHannah Tan, Malaysian singer-songwriterHannah Taylor-Gordon (born 1987) English actress, Anne Frank: The Whole StoryHannah Teter (born 1987), American snowboarderHannah Tointon (born 1987), British actressHannah Twynnoy, First British person killed by tigerHannah Van Buren (1783–1819), wife of the 8th president of the United States, Martin Van BurenHannah Vogt (1910–1994), a German historianHannah Webster Foster (1758–1840), American novelistHannah Weiner (1928–1997), American poetHannah Whelan (born 1992), British gymnastHannah Whitall Smith (1832–1911), American lay speaker and author during the Holiness movementHannah Wilke (1940–1993), American painter, sculptor and photographerHannah Wilson (born 1989), Hong Kong Olympic swimmer.Hannah Wood (born 1983), American poet and actress, sister of Elijah WoodHannah (Australian singer), Australian pop singerPeople with the given name Hanna:
Hanna Alström (born 1981), Swedish actressHanna Fahl (born 1978), Swedish music journalist and translatorHanna Grönvall (1879–1953), Swedish politicianHanna Hammarström (1829–1909), Swedish inventorHanna Holborn Gray (born 1930), American historian and professorHanna Jaltner (born 1976), Swedish breaststroke swimmerHanna Karasiova (born 1978), Belarusian archerHanna Lindberg, Swedish politician, the first woman in a communal council (1910)Hanna Ljungberg (born 1979), Swedish soccer playerHanna Meron (born 1923), Israeli actressHanna Newcombe (born 1922), Canadian peace activistHanna Pakarinen (born 1981), Finnish pop singerHanna van Recklinghausen (born 1332), bankerHanna Reitsch (1912–1979), German test pilotHanna Rovina (1892–1980), Israeli actress and the original "First Lady of Hebrew Theatre"Hanna Scheuring (15 Juni 1965), Swiss actress and theatre directorHanna Schygulla (born 1948), German actress and singerHanna Sheehy-Skeffington (1877–1946), Irish feminist, wife of Francis Sheehy-SkeffingtonHanna Suchocka (born 1946), Prime Minister of Poland from 1992–1993Hanna Styrell (1842–1904), Swedish actressHanna Zemer (1925–2003), Israeli journalistPeople with the given name Chana:
Chana Orloff (1888–1968), Ukraine-born sculptorFictional characters:
Hannah Abbott, character in the Harry Potter series by J.K. RowlingHannah Annafellows, character in the 2010 Black Butler anime sequel. Voiced by Aya HiranoHannah Ashworth, character portrayed by Emma Rigby on the English soap opera HollyoaksHannah McKay, character portrayed by Yvonne Strahovski on the Showtime TV series Dexter.Hannah Martin, character portrayed by Rebecca Ritters on the Australian soap opera NeighboursHannah Montana, alter ego of Miley Cyrus' character in the television show of the same nameHanna Marin a character from the TV and Book series Pretty Little Liars and in the TV series is portrayed by Ashley BensonBiblical characters:
Hannah (Bible), a character from the Books of SamuelSaint Anne or Hannah, the mother of Mary, mother of Jesus