Hans

Revision History

loadingDate    Editor    Change Summary
12/1/2024, 10:33 PM Mike C update #117
12/14/2019, 2:25 PM Mike C update #106
7/2/2017, 10:39 PM Mike C update #95
1/25/2013, 11:59 PM Mike C update #85
2/12/2007, 1:03 AM Mike C earliest recorded revision

Gender Masculine
Usage German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced Pron. /ˈhans/(German) /ˈɦɑns/(Dutch) /ˈhanˀs/(Danish)

Meaning & History

German short form of Johannes, now used independently. This name has been very common in German-speaking areas of Europe since the late Middle Ages. From an early period it was transmitted to the Low Countries and Scandinavia. Two famous bearers were Hans Holbein (1497-1543), a German portrait painter, and Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), a Danish writer of fairy tales.