Surname Hanninger - Meaning and Origin

Hanninger: What does the surname Hanninger mean?

The last name Hanninger is believed to have Germanic origins and is derived from the personal name Hanno, which means “God is gracious”. As such, Hanninger is a patronymic last name that refers to a descendent of a man named Hanno. Over time, the spelling of the name underwent several different variations, including Henninger and Hanniger.

In early German records, the name Hanninger was most commonly found in the Central German region of Hesse. It is thought to have spread to other Germanic areas during the Middle Ages when certain families began to emigrate. The name is also found in other countries that had strong ties to German immigrants, including Austria, the Netherlands, and the United States.

The name Hanninger has also taken on additional meanings throughout the centuries. Writing in 1900, Altmann said Hanninger was “a surname for a nickname for a huntsman," presumably due to the activities of certain early Hannigers.

Today, the Hanninger name is found worldwide and is associated with an interesting and diverse heritage. While the surname is often spelled in different ways, it is still unmistakably linked to its Germanic origins and the roots of its earliest known bearer, Hanno.

Hanninger: Where does the name Hanninger come from?

The last name Hanninger is most commonly found in the countries of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is also found in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It is a Germanic surname, derived from a patronymic form of the German masculine given name Hanno (also spelled Hanin, Hannin, or Hanni) and indicates a family descended from a man by that name.

The surname is most often found in areas with a strong German presence, such as the German-speaking countries of Europe, as well as North America and Australia. American descendants of this name often live in states such as Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

In Germany, Hanninger is the most frequent spelling variant of the name, while in Austria, the spelling variant Hanninger is less common and found mostly in the provinces of Upper & Lower Austria, Burgenland, and Vienna. In Switzerland, the variants probably derived from the original spelling are Haninger, Hänninger, Henniger, Henneger, and Henninger, among others.

Today, the last name Hanninger continues to be found in the countries mentioned above, and is a common name throughout Europe, North America, and Australia.

Variations of the surname Hanninger

The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Hanninger can be quite varied. The most common spellings are Hannig, Haning, Hanninge, Haniger, and Hanninger. These forms of the surname are most likely derived from the Germanic elements han (home, family) and ing (descendant), meaning "descendant of the family, home, tribe, clan," though these often shortened in various spelling variations.

Other slightly less common spellings and surnames bearing the same origin include Hannin, Hannen, Hannan, Hannels, Hanning, Hannan, Hannyngs, Hannigs, Hanneg, Hannung, Hannyng, Hanig, Hanige, and Hanyng.

Some of these occasionally appear with slightly altered spelling variations, such as Hannning, Hannninger, Hannynger, and Hanynger, while remapped versions of the name include Hanningham, Haninger, Hannengam, Henninger, and Heninger. The phonetic variations resulting from the various spellings of the name have both a German and a Dutch origin, mostly in Dutch provinces of western Germany.

In England, the version of the name, Heninger, is thought to be derived from the Old English form of the name Haning. In Scotland, Hanigg is also a variant spelling encountered in some areas, reflecting a Scots-Gaelic version of the name derived from the Celtic genealogy of Scotland.

In the United States, the spelling and surname variations of Hanninger are quite common. In some parts of the country, particularly the Midwest, the “er” ending of the name has been dropped, transforming the surname to Hannin, Haning, and Hannyng. In other areas, the “er” ending has been slightly altered, appearing as Hanninjer, Haningjer, and Hannynger.

The phonetic and far-removed variations of the same name can also be found in some parts of the US, such as the often seen variants of Heninger, Henneker, Henniker, and Henniker. Over time, other forms of the name have made their way into other countries, like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with small-scale regional variations of the surname being seen in these countries.

Famous people with the name Hanninger

• David Hanninger: American professional baseball player.
• Christoph Hanninger: German music producer and recording engineer.
• Dragana Hanninger: Serbian actress and model.
• Del Hanninger: American professional basketball player.
• Roman Hanninger: German former footballer.
• Michael Hanninger: German alpine skier.
• Matthias Hanninger: German former footballer.
• Eva Hanninger: Austrian chess player.
• Josef Hanninger: German former footballer.
• Franck Hanninger: French rugby union player.

Other surnames

HanningHänning