Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Hana

Hana is a minimalistic spelling alternative to Hannah, an ancient Hebrew name which appears in the Old Testament, in the first Book of Samuel, as the mother of Samuel (one of the most important prophets in Judeo-Christian tradition). In Hebrew Channah means “He (God) has favored me (i.e., with a child)” which makes perfect sense if you are familiar with Hannah’s story in the Bible (1 Samuel 1-2). Unable to bear children “because the Lord closed her womb,” Hannah prayed mightily to the Lord for a son promising to “give him to the Lord all the days of his life.” God hears Hannah’s prayers and “favors” her with a son (Samuel), hence the meaning of the name. After the child is weaned (about the age of four or five in Biblical times), Hannah keeps her promise and turns her young son over to the priest Eli to raise Samuel in the service of God. It’s a good thing that God listened to the prayers of Hannah because Samuel would go on to become one of Israel’s greatest leaders; it was Samuel who ushered in the Israel monarchy by anointing its first two kings, Saul and David (but then again, that was probably part of God’s grand plan anyway). Channah or Chana are names rooted in Hebrew tradition, while Hannah is more or less the English version, popularized by the Puritans in the 16th and 17th centuries after the Protestant Reformation. The spelling of Hana is the version used among many Slavic nations – specifically Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Croatia (Hana is a Top 25 female name in all of these countries). But wait. We’re not finished yet. There are actually two more etymologies for the name Hana – giving you more bang for your buck when you select this particular name for your baby daughters. In Arabic, Hana (هناء) means “bliss, happiness, felicity”. And, thirdly, Hana – usually rendered by the kanji 花 or 華 in Japanese – means “flower, blossom”. We might also mention that Hana is a place name, as in Hana, Hawaii (and if you’ve ever survived the “road to Hana” in Maui, you know what a magical place it is!). In the Hawaiian language, the word “hana” means “work, labor”.

All About the Baby Name – Hana

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME HANA

Romance is the hallmark of the Six personality. They exude nurturing, loving, and caring energy. Sixes are in love with the idea of love in its idealized form - and with their magnetic personalities, they easily draw people toward them. Like the number Two personality, they seek balance and harmony in their life and the world at large. They are conscientious and service-oriented, and a champion for the underdog. These personalities naturally attract money and are usually surrounded by lovely material objects - but their human relationships are always primary. They thrive in giving back to others rather than being motivated by their own desires. This is when they achieve great things. Sixes are natural teachers, ministers and counselors.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME HANA

Hana did not appear on the U.S. female naming charts until 1994 (whereas Hannah dates back to the days of colonization). No surprise, 1994 marked the year when Hannah was on the edge of Top 10 status in America. Due to the ϋber-popularity of Hannah in the 1990s and into the early 2000s, it makes perfect sense that Hana emerged as a minimalistic spelling alternative. However, while Hannah is given to about 6,500 baby girls each year, Hana is given to about 300. The other great thing about Hana? You get multiple etymologies from several different languages – making Hana quite the multicultural little gal!

Quick Facts

ON HANA

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

Arabic

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

768

PRONUNCIATION:

HAN-ah

SIMPLE MEANING:

God has favored me with a child (Hebrew); Bliss, happiness (Arabic); Flower (Japanese); Work, labor (Hawaiian)

Characteristics

OF HANA

Humanitarian

Community-minded

Family-oriented

Loving

Affectionate

Compassionate

Sensitive

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Hana

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME HANA

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Hana

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME HANA

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Hana


Popular Songs

ON HANA

Soft-Hearted Hana
a song by George Harrison

Hana Aluna Lullabye
a song by Kenny Loggins

Famous People

NAMED HANA

Hana Mandlíková (Czech tennis player)
Hana Šromová (Czech tennis player)

Children of Famous People

NAMED HANA

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Hana

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME HANA

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Hana