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Hansel

Gender
Boy
Origin
Germanic
UK rank, 2025
#2,202 for boys
US rank, 2025
#1,634 for boys

Hansel is a boys' name of Germanic origin. In 2025 it ranked 2,202nd for boys in the UK (11 babies) and 1,634th for boys in the US (103 babies).

What does Hansel mean?

Germanic

An Anglicised spelling of the German given name Hänsel. English equivalent: Johnny.

From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Is Hansel a girl's or a boy's name?

Hansel is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 11 boys in the UK and 103 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.

How popular is Hansel in the UK?

Rank in 2025
2,202nd among boys
Babies in 2025
11 about 1 in 27,000 boys
Five-year trend
Rising fast up 200% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 11 boys in the UK were named Hansel, making it the 2,202nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,025th. Its busiest year was 2024, with 11 boys.

Half of all the boys named Hansel in the UK since 1996 were born between 2011 and 2024. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.

Among boys in 2025, it was 2,130th in England and Wales.

1996Busiest: 11 in 20242025
Hansel in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
202511#2,202
202411#2,149
20238#2,691
20226#3,219
20210–
20204#4,025
20193#4,913
20183#4,959
20173#4,995
20163#5,015
20155#3,527
20140–
20130–
20124#4,147
20115#3,446
20104#4,026
20090–
20084#3,836
20070–
20064#3,522
20053#3,992
20040–
20030–
20020–
20010–
20000–
19991#3,925
19980–
19970–
19963#2,949

How popular is Hansel in the US?

Rank in 2025
1,634th among boys
Babies in 2025
103 about 1 in 17,000 boys
Five-year trend
Rising up 37% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 103 boys in the US were named Hansel, making it the 1,634th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,778th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 134 boys. It first appears in the records in 1905.

Half of all the boys named Hansel in the US since 1880 were born between 1939 and 2016, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 108 boys in the US were given Hansel or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,411, up from #1,634 for this spelling alone.

1905Busiest: 134 in 20212025
Hansel in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
2025103#1,634
2024101#1,661
202398#1,711
2022120#1,504
2021134#1,372
202085#1,778
201977#1,917
201858#2,299
201778#1,871
201673#1,975
201590#1,717
2014126#1,355
201398#1,578
201242#2,810
201121#4,507
201021#4,516
200930#3,549
200843#2,787
200729#3,589
200629#3,522
200528#3,443
200421#4,124
200318#4,421
200216#4,697
200122#3,716
200025#3,293
199921#3,586
199819#3,704
199715#4,241
199622#3,197
199518#3,553
199422#3,103
199329#2,503
199236#2,123
199133#2,184
199031#2,250
198919#3,088
198830#2,085
198717#2,938
198620#2,598
198521#2,426
198420#2,436
198328#1,904
198220#2,425
198113#3,219
198021#2,366
197911#3,567
197811#3,399
197712#3,201
19769#3,722
197514#2,749
197414#2,672
19730–
197212#2,817
197122#1,915
197012#2,738
196915#2,216
196815#2,108
196714#2,138
196610#2,626
196516#1,986
196411#2,545
196315#2,114
196214#2,185
196116#2,069
196022#1,727
19598#3,036
195818#1,895
195719#1,836
195611#2,495
195518#1,844
195416#1,955
195328#1,426
195225#1,516
195124#1,518
195012#2,206
194925#1,461
194817#1,816
194725#1,481
194622#1,508
194519#1,535
194422#1,437
194326#1,367
194223#1,467
194119#1,588
194027#1,288
193919#1,532
193825#1,337
193725#1,344
193625#1,326
193530#1,226
193433#1,150
193323#1,405
193237#1,110
193139#1,078
193027#1,399
192937#1,138
192834#1,228
192746#1,028
192640#1,124
192543#1,053
192447#1,032
192342#1,101
192232#1,282
192133#1,267
192040#1,119
191936#1,159
191837#1,124
191744#982
191629#1,240
191539#1,015
191415#1,607
191315#1,364
191210#1,618
191111#1,037
19100–
19090–
19080–
19070–
19060–
19058#918

Names like Hansel

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Hugo, Hudson, Henry, Milo, Theo, Abel, Arlo, Myles, Axel, Albie, Leo, Oakley

Names related to Hansel

Hanzel

More Germanic names

Amelia, Liam, Charlotte, William, Archie, Charlie, Emma, Freddie, Ella, Harry, Millie, Matilda, Louie, Miles, Alice, Charles

Every Germanic name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Hansel: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/hansel, updated 20 October 2026.