# Joan (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/joan/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | French |
| Meaning | “god is gracious” |
| Pronunciation | /d͡ʒoʊn/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | Joanie |
| Variant spellings | Jo, Ione, Jone, Ioane, Joane, Joann |
| US babies named this | 488,939 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 7,701 / 481,238 (98% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 325, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

A clipped or hypochoristic form of Joanna, from Latin Joanna, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννα (Iōánna), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָה (Yôḥānāh, literally “God is gracious”), the feminized form of יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān) which produced John and its many doublets. As a placeholder name, cf. similar use of John and Jack. Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena.

## What it means

Joan is grouped under grace.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 63 | 2,780 |
| 2012 | 79 | 2,365 |
| 2013 | 72 | 2,496 |
| 2014 | 75 | 2,430 |
| 2015 | 99 | 2,001 |
| 2016 | 112 | 1,846 |
| 2017 | 128 | 1,680 |
| 2018 | 118 | 1,747 |
| 2019 | 134 | 1,591 |
| 2020 | 137 | 1,547 |
| 2021 | 158 | 1,387 |
| 2022 | 161 | 1,413 |
| 2023 | 165 | 1,365 |
| 2024 | 188 | 1,240 |
| 2025 | 222 | 1,087 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 144 | 1,212 |
| 2012 | 140 | 1,261 |
| 2013 | 168 | 1,103 |
| 2014 | 150 | 1,220 |
| 2015 | 170 | 1,127 |
| 2016 | 188 | 1,052 |
| 2017 | 172 | 1,117 |
| 2018 | 178 | 1,104 |
| 2019 | 165 | 1,175 |
| 2020 | 172 | 1,135 |
| 2021 | 185 | 1,112 |
| 2022 | 201 | 1,088 |
| 2023 | 200 | 1,079 |
| 2024 | 220 | 1,016 |
| 2025 | 232 | 987 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 17 | 1,665 |
| 2012 | 9 | 2,717 |
| 2013 | 9 | 2,649 |
| 2014 | 12 | 2,203 |
| 2015 | 18 | 1,649 |
| 2016 | 16 | 1,834 |
| 2017 | 10 | 2,502 |
| 2018 | 10 | 2,499 |
| 2019 | 12 | 2,170 |
| 2020 | 12 | 2,163 |
| 2021 | 17 | 1,692 |
| 2022 | 15 | 1,849 |
| 2023 | 16 | 1,774 |
| 2024 | 17 | 1,743 |
| 2025 | 14 | 2,006 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3 | 4,789 |

## People named Joan

- Joan Crawford, American actress (1908–1977)
- Joan Baez, American contemporary folk musician (born 1941)
- Joan Rivers, American comedian, actress, and television host (1933–2014)
- Joan Fontaine, British actress (1917–2013)
- Joan Collins, English actress, author and columnist
- Joan Cusack, American actress
- Joan Jett, American rock musician
- Joan Didion, American writer (1934-2021)
- Joan Allen, American actress (born 1956)
- Melissa Joan Hart, American actress
- Joan Bennett, American actress (1910–1990)
- Joan Sutherland, Australian soprano (1926-2010)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.