The first name Joanna
A girl’s name from Latin meaning “god is gracious”.
Pronounced /ˌd͡ʒoʊˈænə/ 3 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Latin origin
Joanna means “god is gracious” in Latin.
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.
More names that mean grace.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 78 girls were named Joanna, making it the 514th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 1996, with 374 births (#125).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Joanna with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Joanna at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 997 girls born in the United States were named Joanna, the 306th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1984, when 3,332 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Joanna in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Joanna
61 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Joanna LumleyBritish actress and former model, born 1946
- Joanna NewsomAmerican musician (b. 1982)
- Joanna CassidyAmerican actress, born 1944
- Joanna la BeltranejaCastillian infanta and queen, queen consort of Portugal, 1462–1530
- Joanna RussAmerican author (1937-2011)
- Joanna GarciaAmerican actress and businesswoman (born 1979)
- Joanna AngelAmerican pornographic film actress (born 1980)
- Joanna HayesAmerican sprint hurdler, born 1976
- Joanna KernsAmerican actress and director (born 1953)
- Joanna PettetBritish-born Canadian actress (1942–2026)
- Joanna ShimkusCanadian actress, born 1943
- Joanna GoingAmerican actress, born 1963
More Latin girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Joanna mean?
- Joanna means “god is gracious” in Latin.
- What is the origin of the name 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. Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanne, Johanna, Juana,…
- How popular is the name Joanna?
- In 2025, 78 girls born in England and Wales were named Joanna, ranking 514th. Its peak was 1996, with 374 births.
- Is Joanna a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 112,067 US babies named Joanna since 1880 were girls.
- When was Joanna most popular?
- 1984 in the United States, when 3,332 babies were named Joanna, its highest rank at 88th.
- How do you pronounce Joanna?
- Joanna is /ˌd͡ʒoʊˈænə/, 3 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Joanna?
- Jo and Joann.