Joanna is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Joanna means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Joanna across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Joanna has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Joanna is a girl name of Hebrew origin meaning “God is gracious”. a feminine form of John.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 112,067 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 4,051 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 2,558 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 204 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 1,485 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 2,716 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Joanna per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1984 (3,353/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (374/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1978 (130/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1982 (76/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2000 (18/yr).
Joanna has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1984, when it ranked #176 nationally (given to 3,538 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1980s.
John · Joan · Jean · Gianna · Jane · Juan · Johnny · Jenna
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