I was recently inspired to begin a new series on my blog!
Since I enjoy learning about names, and they’re so important, I decided to create a series for them.
The new series is called Name Spotlight.
In this series I’ll highlight a name and share:
- Origin
- Meaning
- Spelling variations
- Saints/people related to Christianity with the name
The Importance of Names
Below is a brief explanation of the importance of names from Unbound: A Practical Guide to Deliverance by Neal Lozano.
In the Scriptures a personal name speaks to one’s identity and destiny. Abram, which means “father of many,” had his name changed as God revealed his destiny. He would now be called Abraham, which means “father of nations.” Simon would be called Peter, which means “rock.” The name Jacob literally means to “grasp the heel” ; this represents Jacob’s struggle to overcome among men. God changed Jacob’s name when he wrestled with the Lord begging to be blessed. His name became Israel, which means “he struggles with God,” pointing to the source of blessing for his life and the people of God that would be known as Israel.
Names are very important. […] God sent an angel to make sure His Son was named Jesus, which means “the Lord saves.” In some cultures children are not named until after they are born, which makes some sense, as the name has to do with a person’s identity.
[…] God has assigned meaning and purpose to your name. It represents you. He loves your name. He loves to speak it. He knew your name before you were born, even before your parents spoke it. There is meaning to your name, and your life gives your name meaning. Let God speak your name to you.
Hannah
This post is dedicated to one of my favorite names.
Origin and Meaning
- Derived from the root חָנַן (chanan)
- From the Hebrew name חַנָּה (Channah) meaning “favor, grace”
Spelling Variations
There are many variations of Hannah in different languages.
There are also many diminutives, which are short and/or affectionate forms of a name.
Below are a few.
- Chana, Chanah – Hebrew
- Hana – Croatian, Czech, Slovak etc.
- Hanne – Danish, German, Norwegian, Swedish
- Hanna – Dutch, German, Polish, Swedish etc.
- Hania (diminutive) – Polish
- Ann – English
- Anne – Danish, Finnish, French etc.
- Anna – Greek, Italian, Latin etc.
- Ana – Croatian, Romanian, Serbian, Spanish etc.
- Anita (diminutive) – Croatian, Danish, Portuguese, Spanish etc.
Information from: behindthename.com
People
- Hannah is the wife of Elka′nah in the Old Testament. Hannah was barren while Elka′nah’s other wife, Penin′nah, had children and was cruel to Hannah. After praying fervently and receiving a blessing from Eli the priest, she became pregnant. Her son Samuel became a priest, prophet and judge of Israel (see 1 Samuel 1).
- St. Anne is the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Tradition holds that she was barren. At an old age, Anne and her husband Joachim conceived Mary after a period of prayer and fasting.
- Anna is a prophetess in the New Testament. She was a widow from a young age. She constantly worshiped in the temple with prayer and fasting waiting for the Messiah. She was there when Jesus was presented in the temple (see Luke 2:36-38).
- Blessed Hanna Chrzanowska is the first lay registered nurse to be beatified (April 28, 2018). She was from Poland and lived from 1902 to 1973. She worked closely with St. John Paul II well before he became pope. He said he owed much of his understanding of the mystery of suffering and vocation of nurses to Hanna.
One Small Rose 