Hamnah
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "praiseworthy" or "praised one".
Name Census estimates that about 70 living Americans carry the first name Hamnah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hamnah today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hamnah births was 2011 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hamnah. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Hamnah with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hamnah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
70
~ 1 in 4,896,491 Americans
Peak year
2011
11 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,777
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Hamnah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hamnah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 46 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Hamnah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hamnah 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 Hamnah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hamnah
The given name Hamnah has its roots in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "hamna," which means "to yearn" or "to desire." This suggests that the name may have been given to express a deep longing or aspiration for a child or other desires.
Hamnah is a feminine name that has been used in various regions where Arabic is spoken, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. Its earliest recorded usage can be traced back to ancient times, although specific dates are difficult to pinpoint due to the limited historical records available.
In Islamic tradition, the name Hamnah is not found in the Quran or other religious scriptures. However, it may have been inspired by the Arabic language and its meanings, which have been deeply intertwined with Islamic culture and belief systems.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Hamnah was a renowned poet and scholar who lived in the 8th century CE in present-day Iraq. Her full name was Hamnah bint Yahya al-Baghdadiya, and she was celebrated for her contributions to Arabic literature and her skill in composing poetry.
Another notable figure with the name Hamnah was a 12th-century Sufi mystic and spiritual leader from present-day Iran. Hamnah al-Qazwini was known for her wisdom, devotion, and teachings on the spiritual path, attracting many followers during her lifetime.
In the 13th century, Hamnah bint Abi Bakr al-Tuzari was a prominent jurist and scholar of Islamic law from present-day Tunisia. She was highly respected for her expertise in legal matters and her contributions to the study of Maliki jurisprudence.
Hamnah al-Misriya, born in the late 14th century in present-day Egypt, was a renowned Sufi mystic and poet. Her writings and teachings on spiritual enlightenment and divine love had a significant impact on the Sufi tradition in the region.
In the 16th century, Hamnah bint Ahmad al-Maqdisiya was a respected scholar and teacher from present-day Palestine. She was known for her extensive knowledge of Islamic sciences, including hadith (prophetic traditions), fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), and tafsir (Quranic exegesis).
While the name Hamnah has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, it has also been adopted and used in various regions and communities influenced by Arabic language and Islam. The name's meaning and historical significance are deeply rooted in the rich heritage and traditions of the Arabic-speaking world.
People
Hamnah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hamnah 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
Hamnah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hamnah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 70 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hamnah 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 4,896,491 US residents.
Is Hamnah a common name?
We classify Hamnah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 71 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hamnah most popular?
The single biggest year for Hamnah was 2011, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hamnah is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Hamnah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hamnah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hamnah in the SSA data are female. 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.
Is Hamnah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hamnah in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Hamnah can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Hamnah?
Want to know how many Americans are named Hamnah? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.