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Girl · Hebrew, through Greek
Joanna
Say it: joh-AN-uh
Meaning
Feminine of John, from Hebrew Yoḥanan 'YHWH is gracious'.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
The feminine forms Jeanne, Juana and Joan were among the most common medieval girls' names; the biblical spelling Joanna was revived in the 18th century.
Its wave through time
Timeless: in steady use for over a century
In the United States
- 107,042 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1984, about 1 in 506 girls
- 1,162 babies in 2020
Through the ages
- The Biblical WorldAbout 1200 BC to AD 100
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
- The Renaissance1400 to 1600
- Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
HebrewEarly ChristianEnglishFrenchSpanishItalianGermanPolishGreek
The family of the name
Other spellings: Johanna, Joanne, Joana
| French | Jeanne |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Juana |
| Italian | Giovanna |
| Portuguese | Joana |
| German | Johanna |
| Polish | Joanna |
| Greek | Ioanna |
| Ukrainian | Ivanna |
Famous bearers
- Joanna, a follower of Jesus in Luke 8
- Joan of Arc, French heroine
- Joan of England, Queen of Sicily (Latin Johanna)
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament
- Medieval European charters and records
- Parish baptism registers
- English poll taxes and lay subsidy rolls (13th and 14th centuries)
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.