MEANING & HISTORY
What does Johanna mean?
Johanna belongs to the feminine John name family. It continues Latin Johanna, related to Joanna, through Greek Ioanna and a Hebrew name expressing God’s graciousness.
The h helps distinguish this written form from Joanna, but it does not create a different root meaning. The Cebuano entry records a borrowing through English, showing one route by which the form is documented in a Philippine language. Jane, Jeanne and Joanna are useful related names with their own language histories.
The inherited religious wording explains the name’s formation; it does not determine a bearer’s personal faith or the reason their family selected the name.
References for this explanation
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
CebuanoEtymology & source
From English Johanna.
a female given name from Hebrew
Wiktionary: Johanna (Cebuano) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
EnglishEtymology & source
From Latin Johanna, variant of 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, Joanna, Joanne, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, Sheena, and Zhanna.
A female given name from Latin.
Wiktionary: Johanna (English) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
EnglishEtymology & source
From Middle English John, Johan, Johannes, from Anglo-Norman Jehan, Johan, and also Old English Iohannes, both from Late Latin Iōhannēs, variant of Latin Iōannēs, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Biblical Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān), perhaps contracted from a former יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān, “God is gracious”). Doublet of Jack, Jon, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Sean, Shane, Shaun, Ian, Ivan, Evan, Juan, Giovanni, and Yahya.
A male given name originating from the Bible [in turn from Hebrew]; very popular since the Middle Ages.; Used generically for a man whose actual name may not be known.; Used frequently to form an idea personified, as in John Bull, John Barleycorn (see derivations below).
Wiktionary: Johanna (English) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
EnglishEtymology & source
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.
A female given name from French, a feminine form of John.; A male given name from Catalan, a form of John.
Wiktionary: Johanna (English) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
EnglishEtymology & source
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.
A female given name from Latin [in turn from Hebrew].
Wiktionary: Johanna (English) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Johanna in the birth records
Exact spelling and stated year in the published name tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Tables included: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2016 fact sheet lists five names per sex; the later tables include ten. Missing counts are not inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Johanna
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Joanna♀God is gracious
- Johann♂God is gracious; German form of Johannes
- Johanne♀God is gracious; feminine Joanna-family form
- Hanna♀Grace; a form of Hannah
- Janna♀Jane-family form, associated with divine grace
- Jo-Ann·Variant of Joanne, in the John-name family
- Joanne♀Joanna-family form; God is gracious
- Johan♂God is gracious; a John-family form
What rhymes with Johanna?
No dictionary-confirmed rhyme match is available for this spelling in the current catalogue.
Explore Johanna further
Follow the sources
- Wiktionary contributors — Johanna (Cebuano) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Johanna (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Wiktionary contributors — Johanna (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Wiktionary contributors — Johanna (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Wiktionary contributors — Johanna (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.