Meaning:
Its source is Channah, a Hebrew name meaning "Favored grace."
Languages:
This girl's name is used in Dutch, English, Polish, Norwegian, Swedish and Danish.
Popularity:
The name Hanna ranked 189th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 1112th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
This name first made its appearance on state popularity lists before 1993, but is becoming less commonly used. In some cases, it has fallen off the lists altogether.
Narrative:
In the Jewish scriptures, Channah, wife of Elkanah, was barren. At the temple near Shiloh, she asked God to bless her with a child, promising to dedicate her baby to His service.
Her prayer was answered, and her son Samuel was ''lent to the Lord'' for all the days of his life. Indeed, he grew up to be one of Israel's most revered prophets.
With this story in mind, some authorites translate this name as a full sentence: ''God has graced me with a son.''
