Joanna
Joanna was given to 997 girls in 2025, #306 among girls’ names; 112,067 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 98,100 Americans named Joanna and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (88% of everyone recorded); the median is 38 years old and half are between 22 and 50.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Joanna by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Joanna mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Joanna is “a female given name from Latin [in turn from Hebrew].” Its etymology gives the sense “God is gracious” (literally).
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.
/ˌd͡ʒoʊˈænə/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Joanna?
#306 among girls’ names, 2025
Joanna held from #306 in 2015 to #306 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 0.60 to 0.62 per 1,000.
3,353 babies in 1984, the peak
Joanna peaked in 1984, when 3,353 babies were given it (3,332 girls, #88 among girls’ names). The 997 births of 2025 are 30% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 997 | #306 | 0.62 |
| 2024 | 945 | #329 | 0.58 |
| 2023 | 918 | #339 | 0.57 |
| 2022 | 1,002 | #321 | 0.61 |
| 2021 | 1,101 | #291 | 0.67 |
| 2020 | 1,176 | #256 | 0.73 |
| 2019 | 1,281 | #254 | 0.76 |
| 2018 | 1,454 | #213 | 0.85 |
| 2017 | 1,352 | #235 | 0.78 |
| 2016 | 1,274 | #248 | 0.72 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1,065 | #306 | 0.60 |
| 2014 | 1,022 | #325 | 0.57 |
| 2013 | 945 | #343 | 0.54 |
| 2012 | 974 | #323 | 0.55 |
| 2011 | 976 | #323 | 0.55 |
| 2010 | 1,066 | #305 | 0.60 |
| 2009 | 1,106 | #302 | 0.60 |
| 2008 | 1,194 | #283 | 0.63 |
| 2007 | 1,392 | #252 | 0.72 |
| 2006 | 1,289 | #256 | 0.68 |
| 2005 | 1,167 | #284 | 0.63 |
| 2004 | 1,280 | #251 | 0.70 |
| 2003 | 1,303 | #252 | 0.71 |
| 2002 | 1,335 | #239 | 0.74 |
| 2001 | 1,555 | #206 | 0.86 |
| 2000 | 1,349 | #238 | 0.74 |
| 1999 | 1,327 | #238 | 0.75 |
| 1998 | 1,281 | #240 | 0.72 |
| 1997 | 1,409 | #208 | 0.81 |
| 1996 | 1,405 | #209 | 0.80 |
| 1995 | 1,597 | #185 | 0.91 |
| 1994 | 1,624 | #183 | 0.91 |
| 1993 | 1,638 | #177 | 0.91 |
| 1992 | 1,825 | #167 | 1.0 |
| 1991 | 1,951 | #152 | 1.0 |
| 1990 | 2,230 | #138 | 1.2 |
| 1989 | 2,116 | #142 | 1.1 |
| 1988 | 2,206 | #131 | 1.2 |
| 1987 | 2,056 | #133 | 1.2 |
| 1986 | 2,227 | #126 | 1.3 |
| 1985 | 2,772 | #99 | 1.6 |
| 1984 | 3,332 | #88 | 2.0 |
| 1983 | 2,120 | #139 | 1.3 |
| 1982 | 1,834 | #161 | 1.1 |
| 1981 | 1,828 | #154 | 1.1 |
| 1980 | 1,725 | #163 | 1.0 |
| 1979 | 1,388 | #193 | 0.86 |
| 1978 | 1,349 | #190 | 0.88 |
| 1977 | 1,565 | #173 | 1.0 |
| 1976 | 1,718 | #152 | 1.2 |
| 1975 | 1,699 | #158 | 1.2 |
| 1974 | 1,772 | #155 | 1.2 |
| 1973 | 1,664 | #166 | 1.1 |
| 1972 | 1,423 | #198 | 0.94 |
| 1971 | 1,372 | #222 | 0.82 |
| 1970 | 1,331 | #236 | 0.76 |
| 1969 | 1,217 | #244 | 0.72 |
| 1968 | 1,036 | #261 | 0.63 |
| 1967 | 859 | #292 | 0.52 |
| 1966 | 890 | #284 | 0.53 |
| 1965 | 910 | #293 | 0.52 |
| 1964 | 877 | #315 | 0.46 |
| 1963 | 888 | #313 | 0.46 |
| 1962 | 834 | #325 | 0.42 |
| 1961 | 865 | #321 | 0.43 |
| 1960 | 820 | #329 | 0.41 |
| 1959 | 755 | #348 | 0.37 |
| 1958 | 665 | #358 | 0.33 |
| 1957 | 582 | #375 | 0.28 |
| 1956 | 482 | #412 | 0.24 |
| 1955 | 455 | #413 | 0.23 |
| 1954 | 471 | #399 | 0.24 |
| 1953 | 411 | #429 | 0.22 |
| 1952 | 407 | #423 | 0.22 |
| 1951 | 445 | #387 | 0.25 |
| 1950 | 478 | #363 | 0.28 |
| 1949 | 463 | #366 | 0.27 |
| 1948 | 515 | #342 | 0.30 |
| 1947 | 509 | #357 | 0.29 |
| 1946 | 498 | #332 | 0.32 |
| 1945 | 426 | #333 | 0.33 |
| 1944 | 453 | #317 | 0.34 |
| 1943 | 514 | #307 | 0.37 |
| 1942 | 502 | #308 | 0.37 |
| 1941 | 417 | #321 | 0.35 |
| 1940 | 412 | #314 | 0.36 |
| 1939 | 390 | #313 | 0.36 |
| 1938 | 427 | #304 | 0.39 |
| 1937 | 438 | #297 | 0.41 |
| 1936 | 361 | #324 | 0.35 |
| 1935 | 424 | #293 | 0.40 |
| 1934 | 480 | #281 | 0.46 |
| 1933 | 367 | #327 | 0.36 |
| 1932 | 337 | #346 | 0.32 |
| 1931 | 331 | #351 | 0.31 |
| 1930 | 359 | #351 | 0.32 |
| 1929 | 273 | #401 | 0.24 |
| 1928 | 285 | #398 | 0.25 |
| 1927 | 239 | #449 | 0.20 |
| 1926 | 281 | #406 | 0.24 |
| 1925 | 236 | #452 | 0.19 |
| 1924 | 208 | #484 | 0.17 |
| 1923 | 199 | #492 | 0.16 |
| 1922 | 185 | #514 | 0.15 |
| 1921 | 160 | #569 | 0.13 |
| 1920 | 167 | #554 | 0.14 |
| 1919 | 165 | #533 | 0.15 |
| 1918 | 180 | #510 | 0.16 |
| 1917 | 170 | #508 | 0.16 |
| 1916 | 168 | #500 | 0.16 |
| 1915 | 147 | #516 | 0.15 |
| 1914 | 81 | #644 | 0.11 |
| 1913 | 94 | #529 | 0.15 |
| 1912 | 73 | #563 | 0.13 |
| 1911 | 59 | #550 | 0.14 |
| 1910 | 49 | #596 | 0.12 |
| 1909 | 48 | #556 | 0.14 |
| 1908 | 54 | #496 | 0.16 |
| 1907 | 32 | #670 | 0.10 |
| 1906 | 40 | #558 | 0.14 |
| 1905 | 41 | #539 | 0.14 |
| 1904 | 37 | #550 | 0.13 |
| 1903 | 45 | #478 | 0.17 |
| 1902 | 26 | #658 | 0.10 |
| 1901 | 31 | #552 | 0.13 |
| 1900 | 37 | #573 | 0.12 |
| 1899 | 40 | #461 | 0.17 |
| 1898 | 42 | #477 | 0.16 |
| 1897 | 50 | #417 | 0.21 |
| 1896 | 37 | #480 | 0.16 |
| 1895 | 29 | #551 | 0.12 |
| 1894 | 44 | #421 | 0.20 |
| 1893 | 36 | #445 | 0.17 |
| 1892 | 42 | #409 | 0.20 |
| 1891 | 36 | #417 | 0.19 |
| 1890 | 33 | #454 | 0.17 |
| 1889 | 27 | #480 | 0.15 |
| 1888 | 37 | #406 | 0.21 |
| 1887 | 32 | #383 | 0.22 |
| 1886 | 35 | #361 | 0.24 |
| 1885 | 40 | #322 | 0.30 |
| 1884 | 24 | #412 | 0.19 |
| 1883 | 33 | #308 | 0.29 |
| 1882 | 15 | #481 | 0.14 |
| 1881 | 21 | #364 | 0.23 |
| 1880 | 26 | #313 | 0.29 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Joanna a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Joanna has been given almost only to girls: 306 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Joanna: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Joanna, and how old are they?
98,100 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 88% of the 112,067 Americans ever recorded as Joanna. The median Joanna alive today is 38 years old; half are between 22 and 50.
The 2020 Census counted 104,730 people named Joanna (104,581 women and girls, 149 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 95,169 born in the U.S. The Census count is 10% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 2,290 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 9,030 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 20,500 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 32,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 19,800 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 14,400 |
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 Joanna born?
The states with the most babies named Joanna are California, Texas and New York, with 36% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 18,674 | #297 | 1.5× |
| Texas | 10,084 | #326 | 1.1× |
| New York | 9,660 | #560 | 1.2× |
| Illinois | 5,601 | #282 | 1.0× |
| Pennsylvania | 5,089 | #252 | 0.9× |
| Ohio | 4,241 | #217 | 0.8× |
| Florida | 3,795 | #371 | 0.8× |
| New Jersey | 3,193 | #742 | 1.0× |
| Michigan | 2,965 | #288 | 0.7× |
| Massachusetts | 2,933 | #342 | 1.0× |
Where Joanna is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Joanna is most over-represented in California: since 1910 it was given 1.5 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 Joanna 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 742,235 babies since 1880, Joanna is the fourth most given (15% of them). In 2025 it was given to 997 of their 1,631 babies (61%), the most given that year.
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 Joanna
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 Joanna and names like it
- Compare Joanna and JoanneBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1980sJoanna peaked in 1984.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Joanna since 1910.
- Hebrew namesWiktionary’s origin for Joanna: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1984The year the most babies were named Joanna.
- The names of the MillennialsMost people named Joanna alive today were born 1981-1996.
- Names starting with JMost given first.