Joanna is a feminine given name deriving from from he, יוֹחָנָה, translit=Yôḥānāh, lit=God is gracious. Variants in English include Joan, Joann, Joanne, and Johanna. Other forms of the name in English are Jan,

Jane Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...

, Janet, Janice, Jean, and Jeanne. The earliest recorded occurrence of the name Joanna, in

Luke People *Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...

8:3, refers to the disciple " Joanna the wife of Chuza," who was an associate of

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cru ...

. Her name as given is Greek in form, although it ultimately originated from the Hebrew masculine name יְהוֹחָנָן ''Yəhôḥānān'' or יוֹחָנָן ''Yôḥānān'' meaning 'God is gracious'. In Greek this name became Ιωαννης ''Iōannēs'', from which ''Iōanna'' was derived by giving it a feminine ending. The name Joanna, like Yehohanan, was associated with Hasmonean families. Saint Joanna was culturally Hellenized, thus bearing the Grecian adaptation of a Jewish name, as was commonly done in her milieu. At the beginning of the Christian era, the names Iōanna and Iōannēs were already common in Judea. The name ''Joanna'' and its equivalents became popular for women "all at once" beginning in the 12th century in

Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

and the south of France. In England, the name did not become current until the 19th century. The original Latin form ''Joanna'' was used in English to translate the equivalents in other languages; for example, Juana la Loca is known in English as Joanna the Mad. The variant form ''Johanna'' originated in Latin in the Middle Ages, by analogy with the Latin masculine name ''Johannes''. The Greek form lacks a medial ''-h-'' because in Greek /h/ could only occur initially. The Hebrew name יוֹחָנָה ''Yôḥānāh'' forms a feminine equivalent in Hebrew for the name Joanna and its variants. The Christian Arabic form of John is يوحنّا ''Yūḥannā'', based on the

Judeo-Aramaic Judaeo-Aramaic languages represent a group of Hebrew-influenced Aramaic and Neo-Aramaic languages. Early use Aramaic, like Hebrew, is a Northwest Semitic language, and the two share many features. From the 7th century BCE, Aramaic became the ...

form of the name. For Joanna, Arabic translations of the Bible use يونّا ''Yuwannā'' based on Syriac ܝܘܚܢ ''Yoanna'', which in turn is based on the Greek form ''Iōanna''. Sometimes in modern English ''Joanna'' is reinterpreted as a compound of the two names Jo and Anna, and therefore given a spelling like JoAnna, Jo-Anna, or Jo Anna. However, the original name Joanna is a single unit, not a compound. The names

Hannah Hannah or Hanna may refer to: People, biblical figures, and fictional characters * Hannah (name), a female given name of Hebrew origin * Hanna (Arabic name), a family and a male given name of Christian Arab origin * Hanna (Irish surname), a famil ...

, Anna, Anne, Ann are etymologically related to Joanna just the same: they are derived from Hebrew חַנָּה ''Ḥannāh'' 'grace' from the same verbal root meaning 'to be gracious'.

In other languages

Amharic Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...

- ዮሐና Yohäna *

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

- Xhoana * Arabic - يُوَنّا Yuwannā * Armenian - Յովհաննա (Hovhanna), Օհաննա (Ōhanna) * Basque language - Jone, Joana, Joane *

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...

- Janed * Bulgarian - Йоана (Joana/Yoana), Ivana, Yana; diminutive: Яниџa (Yanizza, Yanitza, Yanitsa) * Catalan -

Joana Joana the equivalent of Joanna in Catalan () and Portuguese (). The Galician form of the name is Xoana (). It may refer to: * Joana Benedek – a Mexican actress * Joana of Braganza, a.k.a. Joana of Portugal (1635-1653) – a Portuguese princess, ...

* Chinese - Modern Qiáo ān nà (literally 'tall, peaceful, graceful'), Biblical Yāo yà ná * Croatian - Ivana, Jana, Janja * Czech - Jana, Johana * Danish - Johanne * Dawan - Yohana * Dutch - Johanna, Joanna, diminutives

Joke A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally. It usually takes the form of a story, often with dialogue, ...

, Janneke *

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

- Joanna, Johanna * Finnish - Johanna, Joanna, Jonna, Janette, Janna, Jaana, Hanne * Filipino - Juana *

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

- Jeanne, diminutive Jeannette, Janine, Old French - Jehane * Galician - Xoana * Georgian - იოანნა Ioanna * German - Johanna, diminutive

Hanne Hanne is a feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Hanne Blank (born 1969), American historian, writer, editor and public speaker * Hanne Budtz (1915–2004), Danish politician and lawyer * Hanne Darboven (born 1941), German c ...

* Greek - (Ioanna), Modern Greek - Γιάννα (Giánna), diminutive Γιαννούλα Yannoula * Hebrew - יוחנה Yoḥanah, יוהנה Yohannah * Hungarian - Johanna, Jana, diminutive Hanna,

Janka Janka, typically a given name or a surname, is a form of the originally Hebrew language name ''"Yohanan"'' (meaning "God is merciful"). Notable people with the name include: Surname: * Carlo Janka (born 1986), Swiss alpine ski racer * Les Ja ...

* Icelandic - Jóhanna * Indonesian - Yohana * Irish -

Siobhán Siobhán is a female given name of Irish origin. The most common anglicisations are Siobhan (identical to the Irish spelling but omitting the acute accent over the 'a'), Shevaun and Shivaun. A now uncommon spelling variant is Siubhán. It is de ...

(after French ''Jeanne''), diminutive

Sinéad Sinéad ( , ) is an Irish feminine name. It is derived from the French ''Jeanette'', which is cognate to the English Janet, itself a feminine form of the Hebrew ''Yohannan'', "God forgave/God gratified". In English, ''Sinéad'' is also commonly ...

(after French ''Jeannette'') * Italian -

Giovanna Giovanna is an Italian feminine first name. It is the feminine counterpart of the masculine Giovanni, which in turn is the Italian form of John; it is thus the Italian equivalent of Jane, Joanna, Jeanne, etc. In Brazil, the feminine name Giova ...

, diminutive

Gianna Gianna is a female Italian given name, a diminutive form of Giovanna. In English, it is translated as Joann, Joanne or Joanna. These names mean "God is gracious". See also "John" for the origin. Variations *Feminine: Giana, Gia, Giovanna *Mascu ...

, Giannina, Vanna, Nina, Zana, Ivana * Korean - Modern 조안나 Joanna, Biblical 요안나 Yoanna * Latin - Joanna, Johanna *

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

- Joana *

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North M ...

- Ivana, diminutive Ива (Iva); Јована (Jovana), diminutives Јованка (Jovanka), Јовка (Jovka), Yana * Malayalam - യോഹന്ന Yōhannā * Persian - جوانا Jovannā * Polish - Joanna, diminutive Joasia, Asia, Asieńka, Aśka, Asiunia * Portuguese -

* Romanian - Ioana * Russian - Яна (Yana), Жанна (Zhanna), Иoaннa (Ioanna, Greek form); diminutives Янина (Yanina), Яника (Yanika) *

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also

* * * Old Serbian (disambiguat ...

- Јована (Jovana), diminutive Јованка (Jovanka) * Slovak - Jana * Slovenian - Jana * Spanish -

Juana Juana is a Spanish female first name. It is the feminine form of Juan (English John), and thus corresponds to the English names Jane, Janet, Jean, Joan, and Joanna. Juanita is a common variant. The name Juana may refer to: People *Juana I (14 ...

, diminutive Juanita, Nita *

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

- Johanna, diminutive Hanna * Syriac - ܝܘܚܢ Yoanna * Tamil - யோவன்னா Yōvannā * Tetum - Joana * Ukrainian - Іванна (Ivanna), Іоанна (Ioanna) * Vèneto - Joana (pronounced // and //) * Welsh - Siân

Women named Joanna

Religion

* Saint Joanna, one of the women associated with the ministry of Mary Magdalene. She brought myrrh to Christ's sepulcher and helped discover the empty tomb (Luke 24:10). *

Joanna (prioress of Lothen) Joanna (prioress of Lothen), a twelfth century nun, was the prioress of the monastery of Lothen in Germany. Joanna is remembered for her tapestry Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-fac ...

, twelfth century nun * Joanna Southcott (1750–1814), English prophetess

Royals and noblewomen

* Joanna of Constantinople (c. 1199–1244), Countess of Flanders * Joanna of Flanders (c. 1295–1374), Duchess of Brittany *

Joanna, Duchess of Brabant Joanna, Duchess of Brabant (24 June 1322 – 1 December 1406), also known as Jeanne, was a ruling Duchess (Duke) of Brabant from 1355 until her death. She was duchess of Brabant until the occupation of the duchy by her brother-in-law Louis II of ...

(1322–1406) * Joanna, Duchess of Durazzo (1344–1387) * Joanna I of Naples (1371–1435) * Joanna of Bourbon (1338–1378) *

Joanna II of Naples Joanna II (25 June 1371 – 2 February 1435) was reigning Queen of Naples from 1414 to her death, upon which the Capetian House of Anjou became extinct. As a mere formality, she used the title of Queen of Jerusalem, Sicily, and Hungary. Earl ...

(1371–1435) * Joanna of Navarre (c. 1368–1437), consort of King Henry IV of England * Saint

Joana, Crown Princess of Portugal Joanna of Portugal (6 February 1452 – 12 May 1490; pt, Santa Joana Princesa, ) was a Portuguese regent princess of the House of Aviz, daughter of King Afonso V of Portugal and his first wife Isabel of Coimbra. She served as regent during t ...

(1452–1490) * Joan of France, Duchess of Berry (1464–1505) * Joanna of Castile (1479–1555), queen regnant of Castile, known as Joanna the Mad * Joanna of Austria, Princess of Portugal (1535–1573) * Joanna of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany (1547–1578) *

Joanna Nobilis Sombre Joanna Nobilis Sombre (– 27 January 1836), popularly known as Begum Samru (née Farzana Zeb un-Nissa),. a convert Catholic Christian started her career as a nautch (dancing) girl in 18th century India, and eventually became the ruler of Sard ...

(c. 1753–1836), Begum Samru of Sardhana

Other

Joanna Ampil Joanna Ampil is a musical theatre and film actress from the Philippines and United Kingdom. Career Joanna is a stage actress. She played Kim in ''Miss Saigon'' (London, original Australian production, original United Kingdom and Ireland Tour a ...

, Filipina musical theater actress and singer * Joanna Angel (born 1980), American porn actress * Joanna Baillie (1762–1851), Scottish poet and playwright * Joanna Barnes, American actress * Joanna Bolme (born 1968), American indie rock musician * Joanna Briscoe (born 1963), English novelist *

Joanna Brouk Joanna Brouk (February 20, 1949 – April 28, 2017) was an American electronic composer, author, and playwright who was active in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Early life Brouk grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. The name "Brouk" is an alternativ ...

(1949–2017), American composer * Joanna Bruzdowicz (born 1943), Polish composer * Joanna Cameron (born 1951), American actress * Joanna Cassidy (born 1945), American actress * Joanna Clark (born 1938), American nun, naval officer, and activist *

Joanna Cole (disambiguation) Joanna or Joanne Cole may refer to: *Joanna Cole (author) (1944–2020), American writer of children's books * Joanna Cole (politician) (born 1948), American politician *Joanne Cole (1934–1985), British artist and illustrator See also *Joanna Co ...

, several people * Joanna Connor (born 1962), American blues musician * Joanna David (born 1947), British actress * Joanna Denny (died 2006), British historian * Joanna Dennehy (born 1982), British serial killer *

Jo-Anna Downey Jo-Anna Downey (February 1, 1967—December 2016) was a multiple Canadian Comedy Award-nominated stand-up comedian. She was the host of two popular weekly Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian provin ...

(1967–2016), Canadian comedian * Joanna Dong (born 1981), Singaporean singer-songwriter *

Jo Anna Dossett Jo Anna Dossett is an American educator and politician serving as a member of the Oklahoma Senate from the 35th district. Elected in November 2020, she assumed office on January 11, 2021. Early life and education Dossett was born in Owasso, Ok ...

, American politician *

Joanna Dunham Joanna Elizabeth Dunham (6 May 1936 – 25 November 2014) was an English actress, best noted for her work on stage and television. She also appeared in several major films. Career Dunham was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, the daughter of Peter Bro ...

(1936–2014), British actress * Joanna Eden, British jazz singer * Joanna Forest, British classical crossover singer *

Joanna Gaines ''Fixer Upper'' is an American reality television series about home design and renovation that aired on HGTV. The series stars Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines, a married couple who own a home renovation and redecoration business in Waco, Texas. The ...

(born 1978), American reality TV personality * Joanna Garcia (born 1979), American actress * Joanna Glass (born 1936), Canadian playwright * Joanna Gleason (born 1950), Canadian actress * Joanna Going (born 1963), American actress *

Joanna (singer) Maria de Fátima Gomes Nogueira (born Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city ...

(born 1957), stage name of Brazilian singer Maria de Fátima Gomes Nogueira *

Joanna Gosling Joanna Marie Mussett Gosling (born 5 January 1971) is an English television news presenter, broadcast journalist and author. She presents on the United Kingdom rolling news channel BBC News, including on BBC2 from 11am until 1pm. She also often ...

(born 1971), British journalist * Joanna Haigh (born 1954), British physicist and academic * Joanna Harcourt-Smith (1946–2020), Swiss writer * Joanna Hausmann (born 1989), Venezuelan-American comedian, actress, and writer * Joanna Hayes (born 1976), American gold medalist in the 2004 Olympics * Joanna Hiffernan (1843–1903), artist's model and muse from Ireland * Joanna Hoffman (born 1953), Polish-born American computer executive *

Joanna Jędrzejczyk Joanna Jędrzejczyk (; born August 18, 1987) is a Polish former professional mixed martial artist and Muay Thai kickboxer. She has been called the greatest female strawweight mixed martial artist of all time, including by Daniel Cormier, who cred ...

(born 1987), Polish mixed martial artists * Joanna Kerns (born 1953), American actress * Joanna Klepko (born 1983), Polish singer * Joanna Krupa (born 1979), Polish-American model and actress * Joanna Levesque (born 1990), American singer * Joanna Lee (1931–2003), American screenwriter, actress, and producer * Joanna Lumley (born 1946), English actress and former model *

JoAnna M. Lund JoAnna Margaret Lund (September 4, 1944 – May 20, 2006) was the author of many books, including ''Healthy Exchanges Cookbook'', ''HELP: Healthy Exchanges Lifetime Plan'', and ''Make a Joyful Table''. Biography JoAnna McAndrews was born in Dav ...

(1944–2006), American author and cook * Joanna MacGregor (born 1959), British classical, jazz, and contemporary pianist * Joanna Macy (born 1929), American Buddhist scholar, author, and environmental activist * Joanna Maranhão, Joanna de Albuquerquen Maranhão Bezerra de Melo (born 1987), Brazilian Olympic swimmer * Joanna McGrenere, Canadian computer scientist * Joanna Merlin (born Joann Ratner; 1931), American actress and casting director * Joanna Moore (1934–1997), American actress * Joanna Murray-Smith (born 1962), Australian author * Joanna Newsom (born 1982), American harpist, singer, and songwriter * Joanna Norris, New Zealand journalist * Joanna Pacitti (born 1984), American singer, known simply as Joanna * Joanna Page (born 1977), Welsh actress * Joanna Pacuła (born 1957), Polish actress * Murder of Joanna Parrish, Joanna Parrish (1969–1990), English student murdered in France in 1990 * Joanna Pettet (born 1942), British actress * Joanna Pousette-Dart, American artist * Joanna Roos (1901–1989), American actress and playwright * Joanna Roth (born 1965), Danish-British actress * Joanna Russ (1937–2011), American science fiction author known for her writing on radical feminist themes * Joanna Scanlan (born 1961), English actress and television writer * Joanna Mary Berry Shields (1884–1965), American educator * Joanna Shimkus (born 1943), Canadian actress * Joanna Simon (mezzo-soprano) (1936–2022), American opera singer * Joanna Simon (wine), British author and wine journalist * Joanna Smolarek (born 1965), Polish track and field sprinter * Joanna St. Claire, American singer and songwriter * Joanna Stone (born 1972), Australian javelin thrower * Joanna Sutton (born 1986), Australian netball player * Joanna Townsend, Australian TV journalist * Joanna Trollope (born 1943), British novelist * Joanna Truffaut (born 1977), French digital transformation advisor and entrepreneur * Joanna Wang (Wáng Ruòlín) (born 1988), Taiwanese singer and songwriter * Murder of Joanna Yeates, Joanna Yeates (1985–2010), English landscape architect and victim in a high-profile 2010 murder case * Joanna Zeiger (born 1970), American Olympic and world champion triathlete, and author

Fictional characters

* List of Witches of East End characters#Joanna Beauchamp, Joanna Beauchamp, the lead character in Melissa de la Cruz's novel ''Witches of East End'' and the Witches of East End (TV series), TV show made from it * Joanna Chambers, a List of The Power of Five characters#Professor Joanna Chambers, scientist from the Power of Five'' series by Anthony Horowitz * Joanna Dark, the main character in ''Perfect Dark'' * Joanna Eberhart, the protagonist of ''The Stepford Wives'' by Ira Levin * Joanna “Joey” Del Marco, a character in the Netflix series ''Grand Army (TV series), Grand Army'' * The title character in the 1973 Brazilian film ''Joanna Francesa'', played by Jeanne Moreau * Jo Harvelle, Joanna Beth "Jo" Harvelle, a List of Supernatural characters#Hunters, hunter on ''Supernatural (U.S. TV series), Supernatural'' * Joanna the Goanna, a pet lizard to antagonist Percival McLeach in Disney's ''The Rescuers Down Under'' * The protagonist of the 1968 British film ''Joanna (1968 film), Joanna'' * Joanna McCoy, daughter of Leonard McCoy of ''Star Trek'' * Joanna May, title character in ''The Cloning of Joanna May'', a science fiction novel by Fay Weldon * Jo Parrish, a police constable on ''Blue Heelers'' * Jo Polniaczek on ''The Facts of Life (TV series), The Facts of Life'' * Lieutenant Forever (2014 TV series), Joanna Reece on ''Forever (2014 TV series), Forever''

Women named Ioanna

* Ioanna Anagnostopoulou (born 1997), Greek rhythmic gymnast * Ioanna Babassika, Greek human rights lawyer * Ioanna Chatziioannou (born 1973), retired female weightlifter from Greece * Ioánna Filíppou, Ioanna Filippou (born 1995), Cypriot beauty pageant title holder * Ioanna Fotiadou (born 1977), Greek handball player * Ioanna Karyofylli, Greek local politician * Ioanna Karystiani (born 1952), Greek screenwriter * Ioanna Kondouli, Greek politician and topographer engineer * İoanna Kuçuradi (born 1936), Turkish philosopher * Ioanna Morfessis, American businesswoman * Ioanna Papantoniou (born 1936), Greek author, scenic designer, costume designer and folklorist * Ioanna Sfekas-Karvelas (born 1950), Greek American dramatic soprano * Ioanna Stamatopoulou (born 1998), Greek water polo player * Ioanna Tantcheva (born 1989), Bulgarian group rhythmic gymnast * Ioanna Vlachou (born 1981), Greek volleyball player

References

External links

"Joanna" at Edgar's Name Pages
- with history, naming frequency statistics, related names, and famous namebearers {{given name Given names of Greek language origin Greek feminine given names English feminine given names Feminine given names Filipino feminine given names Latin feminine given names Polish feminine given names Scottish feminine given names Welsh feminine given names cs:Jana da:Johanna es:Juana eo:Johana fr:Jeanne is:Jóhanna it:Giovanna hu:Johanna nl:Johanna pt:Joana ru:Яна sk:Jana (meno) fi:Johanna sv:Johanna