UK boy's name
Chanan
A masculine Hebrew name meaning "favored by God" or "God is gracious".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2011. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Chanan is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Chanan popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2011 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4647, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2011, with 3 births.
This profile covers 3 England and Wales registrations across 1 recorded years from 2011 to 2011. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Chanan is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 3 living people in the UK are called Chanan. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2012 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Chanan ranked #4647 for boys in England and Wales in 2011, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2011, when 3 boys were registered as Chanan.
- • About 3 living people in the UK are estimated to have Chanan as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4647
2011
Births in 2011
3
Latest year
Peak year
2011
3 births
Estimated living
3
2026
Meaning
What does Chanan mean?
The name Chanan is derived from the Hebrew language and has its origins in ancient Semitic cultures. It is a variant spelling of the name Hanan, which means "he was gracious" or "he showed favor" in Hebrew.
The name Chanan can be traced back to the biblical period, with its earliest known appearance in the Old Testament. In the Book of Jeremiah, one of the prophets is referred to as Hanan, which is the more common spelling of the name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Chanan was Hanan the son of Igdaliah, who is mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah as a messenger sent by the prophet to the exiles in Babylon. This would place him in the 6th century BCE during the Babylonian captivity.
In the Middle Ages, the name Chanan was used by Jewish communities in Europe and the Middle East. One notable bearer was Chanan ben Samuel ha-Nasi, a 10th-century Jewish scholar and leader from Babylon.
During the Renaissance period, the name Chanan appeared in various literary works and historical records. For example, Chanan ben Yaakov Ashkenazi was a 16th-century Italian Jewish scholar and author.
In more recent history, Chanan Arieli was an Israeli diplomat and politician who served as the country's ambassador to several nations in the 20th century. He was born in 1901 and passed away in 1980.
Another notable individual with the name Chanan was Chanan Rapaport, an Israeli mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of computational geometry. He was born in 1944 and died in 2008.
Chanan Inge was a South African writer and activist who fought against apartheid. He was born in 1934 and passed away in 2014.
In the world of sports, Chanan Singh was an Indian field hockey player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, where the Indian team won a gold medal.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Decades
Chanan by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Chanan was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #4647 | 3 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Chanan
- Charlie 104,761
- Callum 65,796
- Connor 53,072
- Cameron 40,394
- Charles 33,091
- Christopher 26,849
- Caleb 15,553
- Corey 12,622
- Carter 11,505
- Cody 11,075
- Conor 10,298
- Christian 9,695
FAQ
Chanan: questions and answers
How popular is the name Chanan in the UK right now?
In 2011, Chanan was ranked #4647 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Chanan most popular?
The peak year on record was 2011, with 3 babies registered as Chanan in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Chanan?
A masculine Hebrew name meaning "favored by God" or "God is gracious".
How many people are called Chanan in the UK?
A total of 3 babies have been registered as Chanan across the 1 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.