Fun Facts About the Name Hans
- More than 15 thousand babies named Hans: U.S. records list 15,682 babies given the name Hans from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 girls received the name Hans - about 1 girl for every 3,135 boys.
What Does the Name Hans Mean?
Hans is the German short form of Johannes, the German form of John, and it is also used in Dutch and in the Scandinavian languages. The name behind it goes back to Hebrew Yoḥanan (יוֹחָנָן), built from a shortened form of the divine name YHWH and the verb ḥanan, "to be gracious" or "to show favor." Read literally it means "Yahweh is gracious," and it is customarily rendered in English as "God is gracious."
Because Hans is a clipped form rather than a name coined on its own, it carries the meaning of Johannes and has no separate sense of its own. The shortening took place inside German, where the everyday spoken form of Johannes was reduced, in the same way that Dutch and Low German produced Jan.
Hans Name History & Origins
Hans appears in German records from the Middle Ages onward as the ordinary spoken form of Johannes. John the Baptist and John the Evangelist were among the most widely venerated saints of medieval Europe, and their name was extremely common in German-speaking lands, so the short form spread along with it. From German it also became established in the Netherlands and across Scandinavia.
In Denmark the name entered the royal house: King Hans ruled Denmark and Norway from 1481 and Sweden from 1497 to 1501, continuing in Denmark and Norway until 1513. The patronymic surnames Hansen, Hanssen, and Hansson - common in Denmark, Norway, Germany, and Sweden - all derive from this given name.
German folklore and literature treat Hans as a plain, ordinary man's name. The Grimms' tales include "Hans in Luck" and "Clever Hans," and "Hansel and Gretel," where Hänsel is a diminutive of Hans. The comic stage figure Hanswurst, recorded in the 16th century and later a fixture of German-language popular theater, used the name as a byword for a buffoon. Compound given names such as Hans-Peter and Hans-Jürgen were also common in German during the 20th century.
How Popular is the Name Hans?
Hans recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1970. Its best rank was #291 in 1885.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | #7,872 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,325 | 146 | 0.0085% |
| 2024 | #1,324 | 145 | 0.0085% |
| 2023 | #1,560 | 112 | 0.0066% |
| 2022 | #1,398 | 133 | 0.0076% |
| 2021 | #1,350 | 137 | 0.0078% |
| 2020 | #1,465 | 117 | 0.0068% |
| 2019 | #1,431 | 122 | 0.0068% |
| 2018 | #1,438 | 122 | 0.0067% |
| 2017 | #1,260 | 145 | 0.0078% |
| 2016 | #1,351 | 132 | 0.0070% |
| 2015 | #1,421 | 121 | 0.0063% |
| 2014 | #1,312 | 134 | 0.0070% |
| 2013 | #1,581 | 98 | 0.0052% |
| 2012 | #1,680 | 91 | 0.0048% |
| 2011 | #2,027 | 67 | 0.0035% |
| 2010 | #1,546 | 104 | 0.0054% |
| 2009 | #1,475 | 113 | 0.0057% |
| 2008 | #1,508 | 108 | 0.0053% |
| 2007 | #1,417 | 115 | 0.0055% |
| 2006 | #1,362 | 119 | 0.0058% |
| 2005 | #1,229 | 129 | 0.0065% |
| 2004 | #1,322 | 112 | 0.0056% |
| 2003 | #1,168 | 128 | 0.0065% |
| 2002 | #1,349 | 98 | 0.0050% |
| 2001 | #1,115 | 127 | 0.0065% |
| 2000 | #1,078 | 132 | 0.0067% |
| 1999 | #949 | 153 | 0.0080% |
| 1998 | #943 | 150 | 0.0078% |
| 1997 | #953 | 141 | 0.0075% |
| 1996 | #1,002 | 125 | 0.0066% |
| 1995 | #885 | 153 | 0.0080% |
| 1994 | #925 | 141 | 0.0073% |
| 1993 | #871 | 149 | 0.0076% |
| 1992 | #798 | 171 | 0.0086% |
| 1991 | #817 | 161 | 0.0080% |
| 1990 | #742 | 189 | 0.0092% |
| 1989 | #730 | 183 | 0.0091% |
| 1988 | #750 | 160 | 0.0084% |
| 1987 | #713 | 164 | 0.0088% |
| 1986 | #672 | 178 | 0.0097% |
| 1985 | #657 | 179 | 0.0097% |
| 1984 | #628 | 185 | 0.0102% |
| 1983 | #649 | 174 | 0.0097% |
| 1982 | #589 | 215 | 0.0118% |
| 1981 | #573 | 222 | 0.0124% |
| 1980 | #598 | 211 | 0.0118% |
| 1979 | #613 | 194 | 0.0113% |
| 1978 | #618 | 182 | 0.0111% |
| 1977 | #589 | 205 | 0.0125% |
| 1976 | #586 | 194 | 0.0124% |
| 1975 | #575 | 197 | 0.0126% |
| 1974 | #518 | 233 | 0.0148% |
| 1973 | #521 | 228 | 0.0146% |
| 1972 | #530 | 224 | 0.0138% |
| 1971 | #497 | 266 | 0.0150% |
| 1970 | #494 | 271 | 0.0146% |
| 1969 | #477 | 257 | 0.0144% |
| 1968 | #489 | 242 | 0.0139% |
| 1967 | #464 | 268 | 0.0154% |
| 1966 | #496 | 233 | 0.0131% |
| 1965 | #511 | 222 | 0.0119% |
| 1964 | #498 | 252 | 0.0126% |
| 1963 | #518 | 238 | 0.0117% |
| 1962 | #546 | 212 | 0.0102% |
| 1961 | #553 | 203 | 0.0096% |
| 1960 | #550 | 205 | 0.0096% |
| 1959 | #584 | 180 | 0.0084% |
| 1958 | #568 | 185 | 0.0087% |
| 1957 | #651 | 140 | 0.0065% |
| 1956 | #605 | 158 | 0.0075% |
| 1955 | #605 | 150 | 0.0073% |
| 1954 | #656 | 123 | 0.0060% |
| 1953 | #649 | 121 | 0.0061% |
| 1952 | #777 | 82 | 0.0042% |
| 1951 | #815 | 75 | 0.0040% |
| 1950 | #846 | 65 | 0.0036% |
| 1949 | #880 | 61 | 0.0034% |
| 1948 | #1,052 | 45 | 0.0026% |
| 1947 | #1,031 | 49 | 0.0027% |
| 1946 | #1,184 | 35 | 0.0022% |
| 1945 | #979 | 43 | 0.0032% |
| 1944 | #900 | 50 | 0.0037% |
| 1943 | #946 | 50 | 0.0035% |
| 1942 | #749 | 73 | 0.0053% |
| 1941 | #822 | 60 | 0.0049% |
| 1940 | #740 | 69 | 0.0060% |
| 1939 | #807 | 57 | 0.0051% |
| 1938 | #695 | 76 | 0.0069% |
| 1937 | #736 | 69 | 0.0065% |
| 1936 | #681 | 76 | 0.0073% |
| 1935 | #714 | 73 | 0.0070% |
| 1934 | #626 | 92 | 0.0089% |
| 1933 | #653 | 80 | 0.0081% |
| 1932 | #671 | 83 | 0.0079% |
| 1931 | #657 | 83 | 0.0080% |
| 1930 | #612 | 101 | 0.0092% |
| 1929 | #662 | 87 | 0.0081% |
| 1928 | #791 | 68 | 0.0061% |
| 1927 | #687 | 89 | 0.0079% |
| 1926 | #644 | 96 | 0.0086% |
| 1925 | #720 | 81 | 0.0073% |
| 1924 | #891 | 61 | 0.0054% |
| 1923 | #836 | 66 | 0.0060% |
| 1922 | #877 | 62 | 0.0057% |
| 1921 | #837 | 68 | 0.0062% |
| 1920 | #855 | 63 | 0.0059% |
| 1919 | #841 | 61 | 0.0062% |
| 1918 | #724 | 78 | 0.0077% |
| 1917 | #643 | 86 | 0.0093% |
| 1916 | #632 | 85 | 0.0095% |
| 1915 | #573 | 98 | 0.0115% |
| 1914 | #588 | 73 | 0.0111% |
| 1913 | #509 | 72 | 0.0140% |
| 1912 | #535 | 56 | 0.0130% |
| 1911 | #601 | 26 | 0.0115% |
| 1910 | #548 | 27 | 0.0139% |
| 1909 | #476 | 29 | 0.0177% |
| 1908 | #669 | 16 | 0.0104% |
| 1907 | #720 | 14 | 0.0095% |
| 1906 | #602 | 16 | 0.0120% |
| 1905 | #579 | 17 | 0.0128% |
| 1904 | #547 | 17 | 0.0133% |
| 1903 | #559 | 16 | 0.0134% |
| 1902 | #528 | 17 | 0.0139% |
| 1901 | #542 | 14 | 0.0131% |
| 1900 | #590 | 18 | 0.0120% |
| 1899 | #465 | 17 | 0.0160% |
| 1898 | #381 | 27 | 0.0220% |
| 1897 | #416 | 21 | 0.0186% |
| 1896 | #522 | 16 | 0.0134% |
| 1895 | #420 | 22 | 0.0187% |
| 1894 | #446 | 19 | 0.0164% |
| 1893 | #519 | 14 | 0.0125% |
| 1892 | #364 | 28 | 0.0229% |
| 1891 | #343 | 25 | 0.0247% |
| 1890 | #446 | 17 | 0.0153% |
| 1889 | #353 | 25 | 0.0226% |
| 1888 | #354 | 27 | 0.0223% |
| 1887 | #345 | 23 | 0.0227% |
| 1886 | #398 | 20 | 0.0181% |
| 1885 | #291 | 33 | 0.0306% |
| 1884 | #348 | 26 | 0.0227% |
| 1883 | #313 | 28 | 0.0268% |
| 1882 | #338 | 27 | 0.0237% |
| 1881 | #343 | 23 | 0.0228% |
| 1880 | #376 | 21 | 0.0190% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
