Joanna
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The story
Joanna is named in Luke first among women helping to sustain a traveling group, then among women carrying unexpected news. The Gospel describes her and her companions supporting Jesus and his followers from their own resources. Later, the women arrive at the tomb early with prepared spices, find the stone moved and the body absent, and report what happened. The apostles initially disbelieve them; Peter then runs to the tomb. These are scenes in Luke’s account, with Joanna part of the group in both the practical support and the report. Her name reaches through Latin Iohanna and Greek Ioanna to the feminine family of John, ultimately Hebrew for “God is gracious.” English and Polish both use Joanna; Polish also offers the familiar forms Asia and Joasia, a smaller everyday branch of the same long family.
Joanna across languages
One shared root links 47 names across 10 languages.
Shared root: from Hebrew Yochanan "God is gracious", carried through Greek Ioannes and Latin Iohannes into nearly every European language
The constellation
37 more branches of this family
Joanna in song
Joanna
Kool and the Gang (1983)
A soft, swaying love song from In the Heart that went to number two, with J.T. Taylor sounding like he means every word.
How popular is Joanna around the world?
In the United States, 6,139 babies were named Joanna between 2020 and 2025. In Poland, 286 girls named Joanna were born in 2025, the 76th most common name among girls that year.
Joanna is on the official records of the United States, Poland, South Australia, Ireland, Canada, Scotland, New Zealand, Norway, England and Wales, Mexico City, France, Austria, Spain and Brazil.
United States
1 in 3,500
In the United States, 6,139 babies were named Joanna between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Joanna peaked in the 1980s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Poland
1 in 860
In Poland, 286 girls named Joanna were born in 2025, the 76th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)
South Australia
1 in 4,6002017
In South Australia, 4 girls were registered as Joanna in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Ireland
1 in 4,900
In Ireland, 11 girls named Joanna were born in 2025, the 352nd most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Canada
1 in 5,000
In Canada, 73 girls named Joanna were born in 2024, the 407th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Scotland
1 in 5,700
In Scotland, 8 girls named Joanna were registered in 2024, the 384th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
New Zealand
1 in 5,800
In New Zealand, 10 girls named Joanna were registered in 2025.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Norway
1 in 6,700register 2026
In Norway, 4 girls were given the name Joanna in 2025.
share of the girls on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure
People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)
England and Wales
1 in 7,500
In England and Wales, 78 girls named Joanna were born in 2025, the 514th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Mexico City City
1 in 9,800
In Mexico City, there were 12 registrations of Joanna in 2022.
share of that year’s registrations in the city
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (1 registration through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
France
1 in 12,000
In France, about 55 girls named Joanna were born in 2025, the 710th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
Austria
1 in 25,000
In Austria, 3 girls named Joanna were born in 2025, ranked 1,026th among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Spain
1 in 26,000
In Spain, 1,703 residents are named Joanna, ranked 1,059th among women, with a mean age of 35.1 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Brazil
1 in 48,000
At the 2022 census, 4,236 people in Brazil were named Joanna, ranked 3,079th, with a median age of 21.
Among people named Joanna living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
The census also counted 372 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Argentina
last on record 2022
Joanna is not on the 2024 record for Argentina, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Chile
last on record 2020
Joanna is not on the 2021 record for Chile, where nametree keeps the spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021
Montevideo City
last on record 2007
Joanna is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
New South Wales
outside the top 100
Joanna is not in the 2025 top 100 for New South Wales.
share of that year’s top-100 registrations
New South Wales (not all of Australia) publishes only each year’s 100 most popular names per sex, so a missing year means below that top 100, not rare. Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, popular baby names
Not on the record in Puerto Rico: that registry withholds small counts, so rare uses may sit below its floor.
When you meet Joanna
Most people given the name Joanna in the United States were born between 1970 and 2009. The Joanna you meet today is most often in her 30s or 40s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Where Joanna travels
Polish · A familiar Polish form, often called Asia at home.
Keep exploring
Names like Joanna · Nicknames for Joanna · Polish baby names
The Joanna deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Joanna truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Joanna fits with your family’s names and surname.
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