Hassan (surname)

Hassan (also spelled Hasan, Hassane, Hassen, Hasson, Hassin, Hassine, Hacen, Hasen, Hasin, Hass, Hassa, Hasa, Hess, Cassin, Chassan, Chasan, Chasson, Chason, Khassan, Khasan, Cassan, Casan, Hazan, Hasso, Hassanein, Hasnen, Hassani, Hasani, Alhassan, Al-Hassan, Lassana, Alassane, Lacen, Lasanah, Assan, Asan, Asanov/Asanova, Hasanov/Hasanova, Khasanov/Khasanova, Hasanoff, Jasanoff, Hasanović, Hasanovic, Asanović, Hasanovich, Hasanovski/Hasanovska, Asanovski/Asanovska, O'Hassan, Haasan, or Hasaan) is an Arabic, Irish, Scottish, or Hebrew surname.

Etymology and spelling

There are several unrelated origins for this surname:

• In Arabic, Hassan is a transliteration of two names that both derive from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-N: Ḥasan (حسن), which means "handsome", "manly", "strong", or "good", and Ḥassān (‏حسان‎), which means "benefactor".
• In Ireland/Scotland, the surname Hassan is one of the anglicized forms of the Gaelic (Irish/Scottish) form of Ó hOsáin. It is to be distinguished from Ó hOisín and Ó hOiseáin (Hession and Hishon). In County Londonderry, where it is numerous, it is spelt Hassan, Hassen, Hasson, Hassin and Hessin. In the Monaghan Hearth Money Rolls of 1663, it appears as O'Hassan. There was a Hasson of Wexford among the "principal gentlemen" of that county in 1598, but that family was no doubt of non-Gaelic stock, and a John Hassan was an influential merchant in Wexford fifty years earlier.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]} Another derivation is from "Hal's son".^[7]
• In Hebrew, the surname Hassan (חסן) means "cantor", or "good cantor", derived from the Arabic "good" and the Hebrew "cantor".^{[8][9][10][11]} Hassan is normally an Arab first or last name; but, in the Jewish Sephardic - Mizrahi tradition, it is a Jewish surname.^[12][13] The Hassan^[14] or Hasson (see also Hassoun),^[15] appear to have most likely originated from Spain, from where the Jewish family has initially settled in Morocco ^[16] and in Livorno, Italy following 1492 expulsion of the Jews from Spain, and afterwards following the 16th century has spread throughout the Ottoman Empire (notably to Thessaloniki, Greece; Istanbul, Turkey; in 1592 in Sidon, Lebanon; Damascus, Syria; Constantine, Algeria and Tunis, Tunisia).^[17]

Depending on language and region, spelling variations

Hassan is a surname of many independent linguistic and regional origins, including Arabic (and through the influence of Arabic, languages spoken by Muslims such as Persian, Kurdish, Urdu, Indonesian, Malaysian, Turkish, Uyghur, Turkmen, Somali, Swahili, Berber, Azerbaijani, Crimean Tatar, Tatar, Bosnian, Albanian, etc.), as well as Irish, Scottish, and Hebrew.

Therefore, depending on language and region, spelling variations include Hasan, Hassen, Hasson, Hassin, Hassine, Hacen, Hasen, Hasin, Hass, Hassa, Hasa, Hess, Cassin, Chassan, Chasan, Chasson, Chason, Khassan, Khasan, Cassan, Casan, Hasso, Hassanein, Hasnen, Hassani, Hasani, Alhassan, Al-Hassan, Lassana, Alassane, Lacen, Lasanah, Assan, Asan, Asanov/Asanova, Hasanov/Hasanova, Khasanov/Khasanova, Hasanoff, Jasanoff, Hasanović, Hasanovic, Asanović, Hasanovich, Hasanovski/Hasanovska, Asanovski/Asanovska, O'Hassan, Haasan, or Hasaan.

List of variant spellings

• In Hebrew transcription: חסן (Hasan or Hassan)
• In Arabic transcription: حسان ,حسن (Ḥasan)
• In Turkish: Hasan, Asan, Hasanoglu, Asanoglu
• In Bosnian: Hasanović
• In Albanian: Hasani or Hasan
• In Armenian: Hassanian or Hasanian
• In Azerbaijan: Həsən
• In Kurdish: Hesan
• In Kazakh: Asan or Äsem
• In Somali: Xasan
• In West Africa: Lassana, Alassane and Lacen, derived from al-Hassan.
• In French: Hassan, Hassen, Hasson or Hacen
• In Spanish: Hassan, Hassán, Hacen, Hacén, Jassan, Jassán, Jasan, Jasán, Hasson or Jasanoff
• In Italian: Cassan, Cassano, Cassani, Hasson, Gazzano, Gazzani, Gassano, Gassani.
• In Bulgarian (in Cyrillic): Хасан, Асанов/Хасанов (masculine), Асанова/Хасанова (feminine)
• In Russian (in Cyrillic): Хасан, Хассан, Хассен, Хэссан, Гасан, Асан, Асанов/Хасанов (masculine), Асанова/Хасанова (feminine)
• In Macedonian (in Cyrillic): Хасан, Хасановски/Асановски (masculine), Хасановска/Асановска (feminine)
• In Croatian/Serbian/Montenegrin: Asanović or Hasanović
• In China, some Muslims believe that their surname Ha (哈) is abbreviated from Arabic Hassan.

Popularity of the surname

• The popularity of the name Hassan or its variants Hasson, Hassen, Hassin is not only in the Arab world (including Arab Christians) but also in the Muslim world.
• The Irish last name Hassan or its variants Hasson, Hassen, Hassin is frequently found especially in the area of Derry in Northern Ireland and also everywhere where there is a sizable Irish diaspora like in United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
• The frequency of the Hebrew last name Hassan – or its variants Hasson, Hassen, Hassin – is mostly among Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews, but it is also popular among Ashkenazi Jews, used as a spelling variant of Hazan.

People

• Hasan family, an active Bangladeshi family

Fictional characters

• Dr. Lily Hassan, character in the British soap opera Doctors
• Hassani (Sleeper Cell character), character in the American television series Sleeper Cell
• Omar Hassan (24 character), character in the American television series 24

See also

• Hazan (disambiguation)
• Hassan (given name)
• Hession (surname)
• Irish name
• Osáin
• Hass (disambiguation)
• Haas
• De Haas
• Lists of most common surnames

References