Hansel

What does the name Hansel mean?

Hansel is a German pet form of Hans, itself short for Johannes, the German John, and so means "God is gracious". Americans know it chiefly from the Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. The name is rare in the United States: it ranked number 3354 in 2000, peaked at number 1356 in 2014 and stands at number 1638 in 2025 with 103 boys.

At a glance

Gender

Boy's name

Origin

German / Hebrew

Name day

June 24

Popularity

Rather rare – #1638 of the boy names in the United States

International

Hänsel (German), Hansel (English / Spanish), Hans (German / Dutch / Scandinavian), Johannes (German), John (English).

Similar names

• Hans
• Hänsel
• Hansi
• Johannes
• Hanzel

Parents who love Hansel also like

• Hans
• Johann
• Ansel
• Fritz
• Wolfgang
• Leopold