# Joanna (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/joanna/  
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 | Latin |
| Meaning | “god is gracious” |
| Pronunciation | /ˌd͡ʒoʊˈænə/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Jo, Joann |
| US babies named this | 112,067 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 306 / 111,761 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 4,115, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

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. Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena.

## What it means

Joanna 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 | 976 | 323 |
| 2012 | 974 | 323 |
| 2013 | 945 | 343 |
| 2014 | 1,022 | 325 |
| 2015 | 1,065 | 306 |
| 2016 | 1,274 | 248 |
| 2017 | 1,352 | 235 |
| 2018 | 1,454 | 213 |
| 2019 | 1,281 | 254 |
| 2020 | 1,176 | 256 |
| 2021 | 1,101 | 291 |
| 2022 | 1,002 | 321 |
| 2023 | 918 | 339 |
| 2024 | 945 | 329 |
| 2025 | 997 | 306 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 20 | 2,675 |
| 1988 | 15 | 3,432 |
| 1989 | 16 | 3,527 |
| 1990 | 11 | 4,830 |
| 1991 | 11 | 4,927 |
| 1992 | 14 | 4,218 |
| 1993 | 11 | 5,173 |
| 1994 | 7 | 7,319 |
| 1995 | 8 | 6,658 |
| 1999 | 7 | 8,266 |
| 2001 | 5 | 11,392 |
| 2003 | 6 | 10,178 |
| 2004 | 8 | 8,502 |
| 2009 | 5 | 13,384 |
| 2014 | 5 | 12,983 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 130 | 364 |
| 2012 | 124 | 379 |
| 2013 | 95 | 442 |
| 2014 | 130 | 354 |
| 2015 | 113 | 402 |
| 2016 | 119 | 382 |
| 2017 | 100 | 439 |
| 2018 | 116 | 386 |
| 2019 | 92 | 458 |
| 2020 | 84 | 478 |
| 2021 | 64 | 603 |
| 2022 | 64 | 596 |
| 2023 | 70 | 555 |
| 2024 | 82 | 488 |
| 2025 | 78 | 514 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: جُوَانَّا
- Armenian: Ջոաննա
- Bulgarian: Джоа́на
- Greek: Τζοάννα
- Hebrew: ג׳ואנה
- Russian: Джоа́нна

## People named Joanna

- Joanna Lumley, British actress and former model
- Joanna Newsom, American musician (b. 1982)
- Joanna Cassidy, American actress
- Joanna la Beltraneja, Castillian infanta and queen, queen consort of Portugal
- Joanna Russ, American author (1937-2011)
- Joanna Garcia, American actress and businesswoman (born 1979)
- Joanna Angel, American pornographic film actress (born 1980)
- Joanna Hayes, American sprint hurdler
- Joanna Kerns, American actress and director (born 1953)
- Joanna Pettet, British-born Canadian actress (1942–2026)
- Joanna Shimkus, Canadian actress
- Joanna Going, American actress

## 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.