2000
#1,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,164
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.10
Uncommon Last name
Hannah
Derived from a place name meaning "grace" or "favor" in Hebrew, also associated with the biblical name Hannah.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,024 Americans carry the last name Hannah. That puts it at #1,831 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,563 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hannah surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hannah with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,563
Census rank
#1,831
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,206 bearers of the surname Hannah in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1831st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hannah, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.3%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hannah
The surname Hannah originated from the Hebrew language and culture. It is believed to have derived from the Hebrew name Channah, which means "grace" or "favor." The name Hannah can be traced back to the biblical figure Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel, who is mentioned in the Book of Samuel in the Old Testament.
Hannah was a popular name among the Jewish community in ancient times, and it gradually spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. The earliest recorded instances of Hannah as a surname can be found in medieval Europe, particularly in England and Germany.
In England, the surname Hannah is thought to have emerged during the Norman Conquest in the 11th century. It is believed that the name was brought to England by Jewish immigrants or Norman settlers who had adopted the name from their interactions with the Jewish community in France or other parts of Europe.
One of the earliest recorded references to the surname Hannah can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, dated around 1195, where a person named Robert Hannah is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain entries of individuals with the surname Hannah.
In Germany, the surname Hannah has a long history dating back to the 13th century. It is associated with the Jewish communities in various cities, such as Frankfurt and Berlin. One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Hannah was Jacob Hannah, a merchant who lived in Frankfurt in the late 13th century.
Over the centuries, the surname Hannah has been associated with several notable individuals. One prominent example is Hannah Arendt (1906-1975), a German-born American political philosopher and author, whose works explored the nature of totalitarianism and the human condition.
Another significant figure with the surname Hannah was John Hannah (1918-2009), a Scottish actor and writer best known for his roles in films such as "The Elephant Man" and "Sliding Doors."
Other notable individuals with the surname Hannah include:
1. William Hannah (1833-1888), an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from Indiana.
2. Walter Hannah (1885-1967), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons.
3. Kathleen Hannah (1949-present), an American musician and feminist activist, known as the lead singer of the punk rock band Bikini Kill.
4. Ian Hannah (1950-present), a Scottish professional golfer who won the British Masters in 1975.
5. David Hannah (1936-2018), an American actor and director, best known for his work in television series such as "The Rockford Files" and "Barney Miller."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hannah
Among Census respondents with the surname Hannah, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.3%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hannah bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Hannah surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.3% · 12,346
- Black or African American26.4% · 5,076
- Two or more races4.9% · 943
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 589
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 127
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 125
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hannah
Hannah appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,138
+974 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 6.83
Rank movement Down 62 places
2020
#1,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,206
-932 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 6.43
Rank movement Down 52 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,717 | 19,164 | 7.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,779 | 20,138 | 6.83 | +974 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 62 places |
| 2020 | #1,831 | 19,206 | 6.43 | -932 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 52 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Hannah surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,779 | #1,831 | -2.9% |
| Count | 20,138 | 19,206 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 6.83 | 6.43 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hannah bearers went from 20,138 to 19,206 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 52 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,779 to #1,831.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hannah
FAQ
Hannah surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hannah?
Name Census estimates that about 22,024 living Americans carry the surname Hannah. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,563 residents.
How common is Hannah?
Hannah ranks #1,831 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,206 people with the surname Hannah. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,024), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Hannah.
Has Hannah become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hannah went from 20,138 recorded bearers to 19,206. That is a decrease of 932 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,779 to #1,831.
What does the Census say about the background of Hannah?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hannah, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.3%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hannah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.3% (12,346 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hannah appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.3%), Black (26.4%), Two or More Races (4.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Hannah (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Hannah mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "grace" or "favor" in Hebrew, also associated with the biblical name Hannah. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Hannah (6.43 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Hannah?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.