Joan
Joan is given to both girls and boys: 222 girls and 232 boys were given it in 2025 (#1,087 among girls’ names and #987 among boys’, #1,255 among all names counting both); 488,939 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026). Boys have outnumbered girls among babies named Joan every year since 2000.
An estimated 221,000 Americans named Joan and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (45% of everyone recorded); the median is 75 years old and half are between 67 and 84.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Joan by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Joan mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Joan is “a female given name from French, a feminine form of John.” Its etymology gives the sense “God is gracious” (literally).
Also “a male given name from Catalan, a form of John.”
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.
/d͡ʒoʊn/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Joan?
#1,087 among girls’ names, 2025
Joan rose from #2,001 in 2015 to #1,087 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 0.06 to 0.14 per 1,000.
21,132 babies in 1932, the peak
Joan peaked in 1932, when 21,132 babies were given it (21,044 girls, #5 among girls’ names). The 454 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 2% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 222 | #1,087 | 0.14 |
| 2024 | 188 | #1,240 | 0.12 |
| 2023 | 165 | #1,365 | 0.10 |
| 2022 | 161 | #1,413 | 0.10 |
| 2021 | 158 | #1,387 | 0.10 |
| 2020 | 137 | #1,547 | 0.08 |
| 2019 | 134 | #1,591 | 0.08 |
| 2018 | 118 | #1,747 | 0.07 |
| 2017 | 128 | #1,680 | 0.07 |
| 2016 | 112 | #1,846 | 0.06 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 99 | #2,001 | 0.06 |
| 2014 | 75 | #2,430 | 0.04 |
| 2013 | 72 | #2,496 | 0.04 |
| 2012 | 79 | #2,365 | 0.04 |
| 2011 | 63 | #2,779 | 0.04 |
| 2010 | 61 | #2,852 | 0.03 |
| 2009 | 70 | #2,626 | 0.04 |
| 2008 | 68 | #2,704 | 0.04 |
| 2007 | 67 | #2,728 | 0.03 |
| 2006 | 80 | #2,360 | 0.04 |
| 2005 | 105 | #1,851 | 0.06 |
| 2004 | 94 | #1,975 | 0.05 |
| 2003 | 104 | #1,805 | 0.06 |
| 2002 | 111 | #1,658 | 0.06 |
| 2001 | 141 | #1,356 | 0.08 |
| 2000 | 163 | #1,219 | 0.09 |
| 1999 | 125 | #1,409 | 0.07 |
| 1998 | 129 | #1,354 | 0.07 |
| 1997 | 144 | #1,239 | 0.08 |
| 1996 | 135 | #1,279 | 0.08 |
| 1995 | 161 | #1,100 | 0.09 |
| 1994 | 171 | #1,061 | 0.10 |
| 1993 | 214 | #903 | 0.12 |
| 1992 | 252 | #798 | 0.14 |
| 1991 | 256 | #799 | 0.14 |
| 1990 | 271 | #762 | 0.14 |
| 1989 | 280 | #706 | 0.15 |
| 1988 | 280 | #688 | 0.16 |
| 1987 | 281 | #665 | 0.16 |
| 1986 | 284 | #647 | 0.17 |
| 1985 | 316 | #601 | 0.18 |
| 1984 | 327 | #565 | 0.19 |
| 1983 | 347 | #540 | 0.21 |
| 1982 | 360 | #539 | 0.21 |
| 1981 | 403 | #499 | 0.24 |
| 1980 | 422 | #491 | 0.25 |
| 1979 | 401 | #502 | 0.25 |
| 1978 | 419 | #472 | 0.27 |
| 1977 | 433 | #456 | 0.28 |
| 1976 | 462 | #433 | 0.32 |
| 1975 | 550 | #378 | 0.38 |
| 1974 | 577 | #371 | 0.39 |
| 1973 | 579 | #367 | 0.40 |
| 1972 | 729 | #322 | 0.48 |
| 1971 | 1,022 | #280 | 0.61 |
| 1970 | 1,308 | #240 | 0.75 |
| 1969 | 1,566 | #200 | 0.93 |
| 1968 | 1,783 | #182 | 1.1 |
| 1967 | 2,305 | #149 | 1.4 |
| 1966 | 2,721 | #133 | 1.6 |
| 1965 | 3,279 | #116 | 1.9 |
| 1964 | 4,149 | #99 | 2.2 |
| 1963 | 4,562 | #95 | 2.4 |
| 1962 | 4,879 | #94 | 2.5 |
| 1961 | 5,551 | #89 | 2.8 |
| 1960 | 5,881 | #80 | 2.9 |
| 1959 | 6,337 | #76 | 3.1 |
| 1958 | 6,785 | #68 | 3.4 |
| 1957 | 7,584 | #60 | 3.7 |
| 1956 | 8,080 | #52 | 4.0 |
| 1955 | 8,557 | #46 | 4.4 |
| 1954 | 9,521 | #40 | 4.9 |
| 1953 | 9,774 | #37 | 5.2 |
| 1952 | 10,278 | #37 | 5.5 |
| 1951 | 9,403 | #39 | 5.2 |
| 1950 | 8,860 | #40 | 5.2 |
| 1949 | 9,206 | #36 | 5.4 |
| 1948 | 9,275 | #37 | 5.5 |
| 1947 | 11,277 | #30 | 6.4 |
| 1946 | 11,218 | #28 | 7.1 |
| 1945 | 10,394 | #25 | 8.0 |
| 1944 | 11,920 | #22 | 9.0 |
| 1943 | 13,232 | #21 | 9.5 |
| 1942 | 14,514 | #18 | 10.7 |
| 1941 | 13,380 | #17 | 11.1 |
| 1940 | 13,292 | #14 | 11.6 |
| 1939 | 14,143 | #11 | 12.9 |
| 1938 | 14,303 | #10 | 13.0 |
| 1937 | 15,301 | #9 | 14.4 |
| 1936 | 17,072 | #7 | 16.4 |
| 1935 | 18,220 | #7 | 17.4 |
| 1934 | 19,465 | #7 | 18.6 |
| 1933 | 19,294 | #5 | 19.1 |
| 1932 | 21,044 | #5 | 19.7 |
| 1931 | 19,119 | #5 | 18.0 |
| 1930 | 15,478 | #8 | 13.7 |
| 1929 | 11,666 | #13 | 10.4 |
| 1928 | 7,854 | #27 | 6.8 |
| 1927 | 6,032 | #41 | 5.1 |
| 1926 | 4,995 | #51 | 4.2 |
| 1925 | 4,030 | #66 | 3.3 |
| 1924 | 3,023 | #95 | 2.4 |
| 1923 | 2,304 | #117 | 1.9 |
| 1922 | 2,010 | #127 | 1.7 |
| 1921 | 1,790 | #142 | 1.5 |
| 1920 | 1,647 | #143 | 1.4 |
| 1919 | 1,247 | #174 | 1.1 |
| 1918 | 1,384 | #160 | 1.2 |
| 1917 | 1,048 | #182 | 1.0 |
| 1916 | 823 | #212 | 0.79 |
| 1915 | 784 | #210 | 0.80 |
| 1914 | 578 | #217 | 0.76 |
| 1913 | 411 | #239 | 0.66 |
| 1912 | 317 | #250 | 0.57 |
| 1911 | 233 | #254 | 0.56 |
| 1910 | 196 | #277 | 0.49 |
| 1909 | 142 | #303 | 0.41 |
| 1908 | 104 | #354 | 0.31 |
| 1907 | 109 | #336 | 0.34 |
| 1906 | 94 | #343 | 0.32 |
| 1905 | 104 | #332 | 0.36 |
| 1904 | 73 | #387 | 0.27 |
| 1903 | 63 | #402 | 0.24 |
| 1902 | 65 | #388 | 0.25 |
| 1901 | 52 | #418 | 0.22 |
| 1900 | 57 | #443 | 0.19 |
| 1899 | 28 | #584 | 0.12 |
| 1898 | 40 | #487 | 0.15 |
| 1897 | 33 | #516 | 0.14 |
| 1896 | 31 | #541 | 0.13 |
| 1895 | 28 | #569 | 0.12 |
| 1894 | 21 | #651 | 0.09 |
| 1893 | 22 | #619 | 0.10 |
| 1892 | 32 | #484 | 0.15 |
| 1891 | 14 | #736 | 0.08 |
| 1890 | 18 | #628 | 0.09 |
| 1889 | 21 | #562 | 0.12 |
| 1888 | 14 | #704 | 0.08 |
| 1887 | 15 | #600 | 0.10 |
| 1886 | 16 | #563 | 0.11 |
| 1885 | 9 | #772 | 0.07 |
| 1884 | 11 | #661 | 0.09 |
| 1883 | 6 | #867 | 0.05 |
| 1882 | 11 | #582 | 0.10 |
| 1881 | 6 | #784 | 0.07 |
| 1880 | 12 | #508 | 0.13 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Joan a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 488,939 Americans recorded as Joan, 98% are girls and 2% boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Joan: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Joan, and how old are they?
221,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 45% of the 488,939 Americans ever recorded as Joan. The median Joan alive today is 75 years old; half are between 67 and 84.
The 2020 Census counted 306,627 people named Joan (296,830 women and girls, 9,797 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 283,985 born in the U.S. The Census count is 8% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 76,300 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 115,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 17,100 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 4,740 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 4,080 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 4,140 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Joan born?
The states with the most babies named Joan are New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois, with 34% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 82,300 | #1,054 | 1.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 48,086 | #964 | 1.4× |
| Illinois | 31,243 | #1,064 | 1.2× |
| New Jersey | 27,815 | #1,260 | 1.9× |
| Massachusetts | 25,374 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| California | 25,255 | #1,100 | 0.9× |
| Ohio | 23,893 | #917 | 0.9× |
| Michigan | 22,042 | #704 | 1.1× |
| Wisconsin | 16,294 | #849 | 1.4× |
| Minnesota | 12,895 | not ranked | 1.2× |
Where Joan is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Joan is most over-represented in New Jersey: since 1910 it was given 1.9 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Joan with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 841,038 babies since 1880, Joan is the most given (58% of them). In 2025 it was given to 454 of their 567 babies (80%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Joan
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Joan and names like it
- Compare Joan and JoBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1930sJoan peaked in 1932.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Joan since 1910.
- The top names of 1932The year the most babies were named Joan.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Joan alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with JMost given first.