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Hania

Hania (HAN-yah, HAH-nee-uh) is a Hebrew variation of Chania/Channah, meaning "resting place; grace of the Lord" and also a Polish diminutive of Hannah, meaning "grace, gracious." Hannah is an Old Testament name which became Anna in the New Testament. Chania is also a city in Crete which the Greeks called Kydonia, meaning "quince." Spelled Haniya this name is taken to mean "to be happy."

There are a few namesakes for Hania - most recently Vin Diesel chose this name for his daughter, but also Polish pop singer Hania Stach, English actress Hania Barton (sister to Mischa), and Hania Mufti, a human rights activist from Jordan.

In the Bible this was the name of the mother of the prophet Samuel. Hannah was a childless woman who prayed to God for children and was then blessed with six of them. Samuel became a warrior and judge of Israel. The name Hannah was not used regularly until after the Protestant Reformation, but it was favorited by the Puritans. Hannah has several forms other than Hania/Haniya and Chania/Chaniya. Some of them are Anita, Anja/Anya, Annika/Anika/Anica, Anka, Annushka, Jana, Nandag, Ania, Anais, Hanne, Hannele, Anniken, and Annikki.

Although Hania is so close in spelling to Hannah, it is very rare, with only 17 girls given the name in 2013. It also seems to have not been used before 1994.
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