Christian names beginning with H

Meaning: Hebrew "grace" or "favor."

Figure: Mother of Samuel; her prayer in 1 Samuel 2 is a model for the Magnificat (1 Samuel 1-2).

Hannah is the mother of Samuel, whose prayer of thanksgiving in 1 Samuel 2 is a clear model for Mary's Magnificat in Luke 1. Her dedication of Samuel to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:27-28) is one of the principal scriptural texts on Christian parenthood. The Greek form Anna is the traditional name for the mother of Mary in Christian tradition.

Meaning: Greek of contested etymology; possibly "torch" or "shining one."

Figure: Saint Helena; mother of Constantine; traditional finder of the True Cross (c. 246-330).

Saint Helena is the mother of Emperor Constantine, the fourth-century figure who, tradition holds, traveled to Jerusalem and discovered the True Cross. She founded major Christian sites in the Holy Land. The Catholic calendar honors her on August 18; the Orthodox calendar honors her with Constantine on May 21.

Meaning: Hebrew "the Lord strengthens."

Figure: Righteous king of Judah; reformed worship (2 Kings 18-20; 2 Chronicles 29-32).

Hezekiah is the king of Judah who reformed the worship of the temple and trusted God during the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem (2 Kings 18-20). The name is uncommon in modern use but appears in English-speaking Protestant families.

Meaning: Latin "honor" or "esteem"; the Christian virtue of honoring God and others.

Figure: The Christian virtue; multiple saints (e.g., Saint Honoratus of Arles).

Honor (and the related forms Honora and Honoria) is in use across English-speaking Catholic and Protestant families, particularly in Irish-Catholic and English-Protestant heritage. The name reflects the Christian virtue of honoring God and others.

Meaning: English "hope" (from Old English hopa, used to translate Latin spes, the Christian theological virtue).

Figure: The theological virtue; also the legendary Saint Hope (with Faith and Charity) honored as the daughters of Saint Sophia.

Hope is the English name for the second of the theological virtues (1 Corinthians 13:13). The name has been in continuous use in English-speaking Protestant families since the Puritan period; the legendary saints Faith, Hope, and Charity are honored in Orthodox tradition on September 17. Modern English-speaking Christian families use the name freely.

Meaning: Hebrew "salvation."

Figure: Eighth-century prophet to the northern kingdom; book of Hosea.

Hosea is one of the twelve minor prophets, the eighth-century BC prophet whose marriage to Gomer becomes a sustained image of God's faithfulness to faithless Israel (Hosea 1-3). The name appears in Christian use, particularly in English-speaking Protestant and Evangelical families.