Hans (name)
Hans is a Germanic masculine given name in German, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Faroese, Norwegian, Icelandic and Swedish-speaking populations. It was originally short for Johannes (John),[2] but is now also recognized as a name in its own right for official purposes. The earliest documented usage was in 1356 in Sweden,[3] 1360 in Norway,[4] and the 14th century in Denmark.[5]
Pronunciation | English: /ˈhɑːnz/ HAHNZ Danish: [ˈhænˀs] German: [ˈhans] Dutch: [ˈhans] |
---|---|
Gender | Male |
Name day | October 25 (Germany) August 29 (Sweden) June 24th (Norway, Estonia, Denmark) December 27 (Finland) |
Origin | |
Word/name | Pet form of Johannes |
Meaning | "YHWH has been gracious"[1] |
Region of origin | German, Dutch, Scandinavian |
Other names | |
Related names | Hanni, Hanno, Hánno, Hannu, Hánsa, Hansi, Hanski, Hanssi, Hanse, Hansu, Hensar, Hampe, Hanseraq, Hansinnguaq, Hasse |
The name "Hansel" (German: Hänsel) is a variant, meaning "little Hans". Another variant with the same meaning is Hänschen, found in the German proverb "Was Hänschen nicht lernt, lernt Hans nimmermehr", which translates roughly as: "What Hansel doesn't learn, Hans will never learn".
Other variants include: Han, Hawns, Hanns, Hannes, Hanse, Hansi (also female), Hansele, Hansal, Hensal, Hanserl, Hännschen, Hennes, Hännes, Hänneschen, Henning, Henner, Honsa, Johan, Johann, Jan, Jannes, Jo, Joha, Hanselmann, Hansje.
Alternate forms
Pet, diminutive, alternative and other language forms are:
- Hannes (Dutch, German, Swedish, Icelandic, Finnish)
- Honza (Czech)
- Hovhannes (Armenian: Հովհաննես (reformed); Յովհաննէս (classical))
- Jack (English)
- Johnny/Johnnie (English)
- John (English)
- יוֹחָנָן, Yohanan or יְהוֹחָנָן Yehohanan (Hebrew)
- Yohanna (Arabic: يوحنا) the Arabic language derivative. Used among Arabic-speaking Christians.
- Yahya (Arabic: يحيى), used among Arab and non-Arab Muslims.
- Eoin (Irish-language derivation of Seán; in Irish and Scottish Gaelic refers to the Apostle)
- Evan, Ifan (Welsh a pre-Christian Celtic subsequently equated to John)
- Jevan (variation of Evan)
- Giovanni, Gianni (Italian)
- Ġwanni, Ġwann, Ġanni (Maltese)
- Jan (Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch, Polish, Czech, Slovak, German)
- Ján (Slovak)
- Janez, diminutives: Jan, Jani, Janko (Slovenian)
- János (Hungarian); diminutives: Jancsi, Jani
- Johan (Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian)
- Chuan (Aragonese)
- Joan (Catalan)
- Jean (French)
- Jehan, (medieval French), still in use, but rare
- Yann (Breton)
- João (Portuguese)
- Xoan, Xan (Galician)
- Johannes (Germanic: German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch)
- Johan(n) (variation of Johannes)
- Jón (Icelandic)
- Jonas (Lithuanian)
- Jovan (Serbian)
- Juan (Spanish and Filipino)
- Juhani, Juha, Jukka (Finnish)
- Ansis (Latvian)
- Ian (Scottish derived from Gaelic Iain)
- Ion (Romanian)
- Ivan (Иван; Bulgarian, Croatian, Russian and other Slavic languages)
- Sean (Irish Seán, after the French Jean)
- Shane (anglicized form of Seán)
- Shaun (anglicised form of Seán)
- Shawn (anglicised form of Seán)
- Siôn (Welsh)
- Yohani (Kirundi)
- Yohanes (Eritrean)
- Giuàn (Western Lombard)
Feminine forms are:
- Hansina
- Hanne/Hanna(h)
- Ioana
- Jana
- Jane
- Joana (Portuguese and Catalan)
- Jeanne (French)
- Joanne
- Joan
- Johanna
- Johanne (Norwegian)
- Jean
- Janice, Janet, both shortened as "Jan"
- Non-English variants adopted as English names include Jeanette
- Seònaid, Sinéad, Seònag
Notable people
Entertainment
- Hans Albers (1891–1960), German singer and actor, stage name Der blonde Hans
- Hans Clarin (1929–2005), German actor
- Hans Conried (1917–1982), American comedian and actor
- Hansjörg Felmy (1931–2007), German actor
- Hans Klok (born 1969), Dutch magician
- Hansi Knoteck (1914–2014), actress
- Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff (1921–1998),German actor and presenter
- Hans Matheson (born 1975), Scottish actor
- Hans Moser (actor) (1880–1964), Austrian actor born Jean Julier
- Hans Heinz Moser (1936–2017), Swiss actor
- Hans Werner Olm (born 1955), cabaret performer and comic
- Hans Rosenthal, (1925–1987), German entertainer and presenter, named Hänschen Rosenthal
- Hans H. Steinberg (born 1950), German actor
- Hans Söhnker (1903–1981), German actor
- Dolph Lundgren (born Hans Lundgren) (born 1957), Swedish actor and martial artist
Literature
- Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875), Danish author
- Hans Henning Atrott (born 1944), German author and theorist
- Hans Einer (1856–1927), Estonian language teacher, author of schoolbooks and a cultural figure
- Hanns Heinz Ewers (1871–1943), German writer, poet, philosopher and actor
- Hans Fallada (1893–1947), German writer
- Hans Herbjørnsrud, (born 1938), Norwegian author
- Hans Holzer (1920–2009), Austrian-American author and parapsychologist
- Hans Henny Jahnn (1894–1959), German playwright and novelist
- Hans Mayer (1907–2001), German literary scholar
- Hans Erich Nossack (1901–1977), German writer
Medicine
- Hans Asperger (1906–1980), Austrian pediatrician for whom Asperger syndrome is named
- Hans Berger (1873–1941), German neurologist
Music
- Hanns Eisler (1898–1962), Austrian composer
- Hans Guido von Bülow (1830–1894), German pianist and conductor
- Hans Gruber (conductor) (1925–2001), Canadian conductor
- Hans Hartz (1943–2002), German singer
- Hans Werner Henze (1926–2012), German composer
- Hansi Kürsch (born 1966), German lead vocalist of power metal band Blind Guardian
- Hans Söllner (born 1955), German singer-songwriter
- Hans Zimmer (born 1957), German film composer
- Hans Poulsen (born 1945), Australian songwriter/musician
Politics and military
- Hans Apel (1932–2011), German politician
- Hans Aumeier (1902–1945), German Nazi SS deputy commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp executed for war crimes
- Hans Berndtson (born 1945), Swedish Army lieutenant general
- Hans Blix (born 1928), head of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (2000–2003)
- Hans Bothmann (1911–1946), German Nazi SS concentration camp commandant
- Hans Claessen (1563–1624), founder of the New Netherland Company
- Hans, Count von Bülow (1774–1825), Prussian statesman
- Hans von Dohnanyi (1902–1945), German jurist and resistance fighter
- Hans Eichel (born 1941), German politician
- Hans Filbinger (1913–2007), German politician
- Hans Frank (1900–1946), German Nazi lawyer and governor general of Nazi-occupied Poland executed for war crimes
- Hans Friderichs (born 1931), German politician and businessman
- Hans Dietrich Genscher (1927-2016), German politician
- Hans Gualthérie van Weezel (born 1941), Dutch politician and diplomat
- Hans Hagnell (1919-2006), Swedish politician
- Hans Helwig (1881–1952), German Nazi SS concentration camp commandant
- Hans-Hermann Hoppe (born 1949), libertarian writer and theorist
- Hans Hüttig (1894–1980), German Nazi SS concentration camp commandant
- Hans Kalm (1889–1981), Estonian-born military officer
- Hans Koschnick (1929–2016), German politician
- Hans Krebs (SS general) (1888–1947), Moravian-born Nazi SS officer executed for war crimes
- Hans Kruus (1891–1976), Estonian historian, academic and politician
- Hans Loritz (1895–1946), German Nazi SS concentration camp commandant
- Hans Maier (born 1931), politician
- Hans Hamilton (1758–1822), Anglo-Irish politician
- Hans Möser (1906–1948), German Nazi SS concentration camp officer executed for war crimes
- Hans Osara (c. 1560–1601), lieutenant in the Cudgel War
- Hans Oster (1887–1945), German brigadier general and deputy head of military intelligence
- Hans Rebane (1882–1961), Estonian politician, diplomat and journalist
- Hans Scholl (1918–1943), German resistance fighter (Weiße Rose)
- Hans Vijlbrief (born 1963), Dutch state secretary
- Hans-Jochen Vogel (1926–2020), German politician
- Hans Wiegel (born 1941), Dutch politician
- Hans von Luck (1911–1997), German officer
- Hans Ulrich Rudel (1916-1982),
Most decorated German ww2 ace
Science
- Hans Albert Einstein (1904–1973), professor of hydraulic engineering, son of Albert Einstein
- Hans Ankum (born 1930), Dutch legal scholar
- Hans Avé Lallemant (1938–2016), Dutch-born American geologist
- Hans Bethe (1906–2005), Nobel laureate in physics for his work on the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis
- Hans Bos (born 1950), Dutch biochemist and cancer researcher
- Hans Capel (born 1936), Dutch physicist
- Hans Cohen (born 1923), Dutch microbiologist
- Hans Christian Ørsted (1777–1851), Danish physicist and chemist who discovered that electric currents create magnetic fields
- Hans Freeman (1929–2008), German-born Australian protein crystallographer who elucidated the structure of plastocyanin
- Hans Geiger (1882–1945), Inventor of the Geiger counter
- Hans Hass (1919–2013), Austrian diver, naturalist and film-maker
- Hans Adolf Krebs (1900–1981), German born, British physician and biochemist. Identified citric acid cycle
- Hans Lauda (1896 - 1974), Austrian industrialist
- Hans Lowey, Austrian-American chemist
- Hans Steffen (1865–1937), German geographer and explorer of Patagonia
- Hans Trass (1928–2017), Estonian ecologist and botanist
Sports
- Hans-Jörg Butt (born 1974), German football (soccer) player
- Hans Dersch (born 1967), American breaststroke swimmer
- Harold Goldsmith, born Hans Goldschmidt (1930–2004), American Olympic foil and épée fencer
- Hans Halberstadt (1885–1966), German-born American Olympic fencer
- Hans-Christian Hausenberg (born 1998), Estonian decathlete and long jumper
- Hans Knecht (1913–1996), Swiss road racing cyclist
- Hans Krankl (born 1953), Austrian football player and trainer
- Hans Lutz (born 1949), German track and road cyclist
- Hansi Müller (born 1957), football player
- Hans Nüsslein (1910–1991), tennis player
- Hans Parrel (born 1944), Dutch water polo player
- Hans Podlipnik-Castillo (born 1988), Chilean tennis player
- Hans Sarpei (born 1976), Ghanaian soccer player
- Hans Stolfus (born 1976), American beach volleyball player
- Hans von Tschammer und Osten (1887–1943), sports director
- Hans Wouda (born 1941), Dutch water polo player
Other
- Hans Werner Aufrecht (born 28 December 1936 in Großaspach, Germany) was in 1967 along with Erhard Melcher one of the founders of AMG Engine Production and Development, a current subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz
- Hans Biebow (1902–1947), German chief of Nazi administration of the Łódź Ghetto executed for war crimes
- Hans Rudolf Giger (1940-2014), Swiss painter, sculptor, and set designer
- Hans Wegner (or Hans Jørgensen Wegner, 1914–2007), Danish furniture designer
- Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543), German Renaissance Portraitist
- Hans-Joachim Marseille (1919–1942) German captain and fighter pilot. Flying ace during the World War II.
- Hannes Meyer (or Hans Emil Meyer, 1889–1954) Swiss architect and 2nd Director of the Bauhaus.
- Hans Seyffer (1460–1509), sculptor
- Hans Wittwer (1894-1952), Swiss architect and Bauhaus teacher
Fictional characters
- Hans, a James Bond henchman in You Only Live Twice
- Hans, a German enemy character in the fighting game Human Killing Machine
- Hans Castorp, main character in The Magic Mountain
- Hans Moleman, character from The Simpsons
- Hans Geering, a character in the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!
- Hans Gruber, fictional antagonist from Die Hard
- Hans, a fictional Disney character and the main antagonist of Frozen
- Hans, one of the main characters from the 1990s animated movie "The Nutcracker Prince"
- Hans Zarkov, fictional protagonist from Flash Gordon
- Hans Gudegast, the name given to the mountain climber in Cliff Hangers, a pricing game on the U.S. television game show The Price Is Right
- Hans Landa, fictional character from Inglourious Basterds
- Hans Volter, the main antagonist from the video game Killing Floor 2
- Super Hans, a character in the British TV comedy Peep Show
- Hans and Franz, recurring sketch characters on Saturday Night Live
- Sgt Hans Schultz, (portrayed by John Banner) character in the situational comedy Hogan's Heroes
- Hans Axgil, a character from the novel The Danish Girl, played by Matthias Schoenaerts in the 2015 film of the same name
- Hans Hubermann, the foster father of Liesel Meminger from the novel The Book Thief.
- Hans, character in Jules Verne's novel "Journey to the Center of the Earth".
- Hanschen Rilow, character from the acclaimed musical, ‘’Spring Awakening’’.
- Hans Zoë (also translated as Hange Zoë or Hanji Zoë), character from the manga series Attack on Titan
- Muscular man and patient in Tales from the Crypt episode, "The Switch"white
- Hans, A smug Gorilla resembling a Yeti from Animal Crossing.
References
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. .
- Dahl, Árni (2005). Navnabókin. ISBN 9789991849393.
- Otterbjörk, Roland (1979). Svenska förnamn. ISBN 9789121109373.
- Stemshaug, Ola; Kruken, Kristoffer (1995). Norsk Personnamnleksikon. ISBN 978-8252120363.
- Meldgaard, Eva Villarsen (2004). Den store navnebog. ISBN 9788711160435.