# Joao (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/joao/  
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 | boys |
| Origin | Portuguese |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /d͡ʒoʊˈaʊ/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 2,353 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 2,353 / 0 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 697, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese João. Doublet of John.

## 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, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 41 | 2,875 |
| 2012 | 38 | 3,028 |
| 2013 | 38 | 2,975 |
| 2014 | 48 | 2,561 |
| 2015 | 41 | 2,882 |
| 2016 | 51 | 2,493 |
| 2017 | 60 | 2,224 |
| 2018 | 57 | 2,336 |
| 2019 | 55 | 2,444 |
| 2020 | 76 | 1,930 |
| 2021 | 79 | 1,921 |
| 2022 | 96 | 1,740 |
| 2023 | 107 | 1,628 |
| 2024 | 135 | 1,391 |
| 2025 | 121 | 1,471 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 26 | 1,024 |
| 2012 | 21 | 1,229 |
| 2013 | 26 | 1,044 |
| 2014 | 21 | 1,223 |
| 2015 | 33 | 903 |
| 2016 | 24 | 1,157 |
| 2017 | 30 | 996 |
| 2018 | 31 | 932 |
| 2019 | 20 | 1,253 |
| 2020 | 21 | 1,230 |
| 2021 | 19 | 1,329 |
| 2022 | 22 | 1,224 |
| 2023 | 20 | 1,309 |
| 2024 | 20 | 1,322 |
| 2025 | 25 | 1,153 |

## People named Joao

- João Havelange, Brazilian businessman and athlete (1916–2016)
- João Figueiredo, Brazilian politician and military officer, 30th President of Brazil from 1979 to 1985
- João Carlos dos Santos, Brazilian association football player
- João Braz de Aviz, Catholic cardinal
- João Victor Gomes da Silva, Brazilian association football player
- João de Nóvoa, Galician explorer, Navigator and Politician
- João Ricardo, Angolan footballer
- João Ubaldo Ribeiro, Brazilian author (1941-2014)
- João Gonçalves Zarco, explorer
- João Schmidt, Brazilian association football player
- Joao Rojas, Ecuadorian footballer
- João Cabral de Melo Neto, Brazilian writer (1920-1999)

## 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.