Hansel
"Hansel and Gretel" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of Grimms' Fairy Tales.
- Literature
- German
Meaning & Origin of Hansel
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
"Hansel and Gretel" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of Grimms' Fairy Tales.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Literature
- German
The Story of Hansel
American parents first put Hansel on the record books as a baby boy name in 1905, with 8 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2021, when 134 Hansels were born — ranking #1,372 that year. About 20% of every Hansel on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Hansel ranks #1,631 for baby boys with 105 births, rising sharply (+22% over the past five years). All told, over 4K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1900s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Hansel
Phonetically similar names — useful when Hansel is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Hansel
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About the name Hansel
Hansel is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1905 and has accumulated 4K births in the dataset. Hansel's peak popularity came in 2021 when it ranked #919. Use the chart and map above to compare Hansel's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2021 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "H" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.