unisex name · in the US
Joan
JOHN (English)
- Origin English
- Gender Unisex (US)
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 501,357
the United States
#986
2025 births
Joan is a girl's name, the medieval English feminine of John meaning God is gracious, and it was once as common as Mary. It is reviving, more than ninety years after its 1932 peak.
- Joan is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1932, when 21,132 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1930s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 7,303 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Joan started out as a girls' name and is now given almost entirely to boys.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Joan Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 121 |
| 1890s | 267 |
| 1900s | 868 |
| 1910s | 7,094 |
| 1920s | 45,605 |
| 1930s | 174,219 |
| 1940s | 118,156 |
| 1950s | 85,452 |
| 1960s | 36,897 |
| 1970s | 6,620 |
| 1980s | 3,547 |
| 1990s | 2,477 |
| 2000s | 2,809 |
| 2010s | 2,566 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,241 |
What Joan Means
Joan means God is gracious. The Hebrew name behind it joins a form of the divine name to a verb meaning to show favor, so the sense is a gift freely given.
Where Joan Comes From
Joan is the older English feminine of John, from the Old French Jehanne and ultimately the Hebrew Yochanan. It was the standard female form for centuries — in medieval England it rivalled Mary in frequency — before Jane and Jean gradually displaced it. Joan of Arc, who called herself Jehanne and led French armies at seventeen before being burned at Rouen in 1431, is its defining bearer, though the English form of her name is a later convention. The name's twentieth-century curve peaks in 1932 and falls steeply, and its current recovery belongs to the same vintage revival lifting Frances and Walter.
Joan in Use
Joan peaked in the United States in 1932, when 21,132 babies were registered, and it is reviving. It now ranks 812th in France on 60 births, 986th in the United States on 454 and 2,081st in England and Wales, across 501,357 lifetime births in four markets. About 3 percent of recorded births are male, largely reflecting the Catalan and Spanish Joan, which is a form of John and pronounced quite differently.
How Popular Is Joan?
In 2025, Joan was given to 454 babies in the United States, ranking #986 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Joan Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Joan
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Joan Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Joan over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Boys' or Girls' Name?
Joan is used differently depending on where you are. Each figure is the share of babies given the name who were girls, over the last ten years of that country's records.
- United States Both 44% girls · 3,436 babies
- France Boys' 9% girls · 1,155 babies
- England & Wales Girls' 98% girls · 142 babies
- Canada Girls' 92% girls · 139 babies
How to Say Joan
- English JOHN /dʒoʊn/
1 nickname for Joan
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Joan in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling Names for Joan
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Joan — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Joan
What does the name Joan mean?
God is gracious — it is the medieval English feminine of John.
Is Joan coming back?
It is reviving, alongside Frances and Walter, more than ninety years after its 1932 peak.
Was Joan of Arc called Joan?
She called herself Jehanne. Joan is the English convention for the same name.
Is Joan ever a boys' name?
In Catalan and Spanish it is a form of John, said quite differently. About 3 percent of recorded births are male.
How popular is the name Joan?
In 2025, Joan was given to 454 babies in the United States, ranking #986 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
How many syllables are in Joan?
Joan has 1 syllable.
When was Joan most popular?
Joan peaked in 1932, when 21,132 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1930s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Joan?
Joan is usually shortened to Joanie.
Is Joan a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Joan currently ranks #812 in the United States. After peaking in the 1930s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.