Meaning of the nameJoana
Joana is a feminine name of Hebrew origin, the feminine form linked to João, a name meaning 'Yahweh is gracious'; Joanna is the dated spelling.
Meaning
“feminine of João, 'Yahweh is gracious'”
Source: Behind the Name: Joanna · Behind the Name: John
- People (2022)
- 238,493
- Rank in Brazil
- #130
- Median age
- 52 years
- 2010 Census
- 269,732
- people
Joana in the 2022 Census
People with the first name Joana, by the decade they were born. In the chart, 70 = the 1970s and 20+ = 2020 to 2022. The largest group was born in the 1960s (45,122 people).
237,131 women 1,362 men
Source: IBGE, 2022 Demographic Census, Nomes no Brasil. The census counts the first name of people alive in 2022; small counts are not published, and the first group covers everyone born before 1940. How to read these data.
Where the name Joana is most common
States with the highest share of people named Joana in the population, in the 2022 Census.
- Piauí 0.211%
- Rio Grande do Norte 0.204%
- Maranhão 0.184%
- Goiás 0.169%
- Paraíba 0.168%
All states
| State | People | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 39,647 | 0.089% |
| Minas Gerais | 25,614 | 0.125% |
| Bahia | 19,533 | 0.138% |
| Rio de Janeiro | 17,312 | 0.108% |
| Ceará | 14,221 | 0.162% |
| Maranhão | 12,444 | 0.184% |
| Pernambuco | 12,135 | 0.134% |
| Goiás | 11,929 | 0.169% |
| Pará | 11,863 | 0.146% |
| Paraná | 9,416 | 0.082% |
| Rio Grande do Sul | 8,691 | 0.080% |
| Piauí | 6,912 | 0.211% |
| Rio Grande do Norte | 6,746 | 0.204% |
| Paraíba | 6,661 | 0.168% |
| Santa Catarina | 5,845 | 0.077% |
| Mato Grosso | 4,137 | 0.113% |
| Amazonas | 3,783 | 0.096% |
| Distrito Federal | 3,587 | 0.127% |
| Mato Grosso do Sul | 3,280 | 0.119% |
| Espírito Santo | 3,272 | 0.085% |
| Alagoas | 2,729 | 0.087% |
| Sergipe | 2,626 | 0.119% |
| Tocantins | 2,503 | 0.166% |
| Rondônia | 1,404 | 0.089% |
| Amapá | 771 | 0.105% |
| Acre | 748 | 0.090% |
| Roraima | 684 | 0.107% |
States with fewer than 15 people with the name are not shown: IBGE does not publish those counts.
About the name Joana
Wiktionary traces Joana from Latin Joanna, Greek Ἰωάννα (Iōánna) and Biblical Hebrew, and Behind the Name describes Joanna as the feminine form of Ioannes, the name that gave João. Hebrew Yoḥanan, the source of João, means 'Yahweh is gracious', according to Behind the Name. In the New Testament, Joana is the name of a follower of Jesus. In the 2022 Census, IBGE recorded 238,493 people named Joana, with a median age of 52.
It is the current spelling and the most recorded in the group.
Other spellings of Joana
| Spelling | People (2022) |
|---|---|
| Joana | 238,493 |
| Joanna | 4,236 |
Sources
- Wiktionary: Joana · en.wiktionary.org · origin
- Behind the Name: Joanna · behindthename.com · meaning
- Behind the Name: John · behindthename.com · meaning
- Wiktionary: Joanna · en.wiktionary.org · spelling
- Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil: Joana · dicionariodenomesdobrasil.com.br · spelling
Questions about the name Joana
What does the name Joana mean?
Joana means “feminine of João, 'Yahweh is gracious'”, according to Behind the Name.
How many people are named Joana in Brazil?
IBGE's 2022 Census recorded 238,493 people with the first name Joana, which ranks it number 130 among the country's names. The largest group was born in the 1960s.
Is Joana a boy's or a girl's name?
Joana is a female name: in the 2022 Census, 237,131 women and 1,362 men had this name.
What is the origin of the name Joana?
Joana is a name of Hebrew, Latin and Greek origin. The sources are listed at the end of the page.
In which Brazilian state is Joana most common?
Proportionally, in Piauí: 0.211% of the state's population is named Joana (6,912 people), according to the 2022 Census.
What are the other spellings of Joana?
Joanna. IBGE counts each spelling separately.
Names that also mean God
See all- Gabriela♀Feminine form of Gabriel, 'God is my strong man'416,654 people
- Isabela♀Form of Isabel, from Elisheva, 'my God is an oath'358,542 people
- Rafaela♀Feminine form of Rafael, 'God heals'317,643 people
- Daniela♀Feminine form of Daniel, 'God is my judge'285,876 people
- Daniele♀Feminine form of Daniel, 'God is my judge'230,628 people
- Isabel♀My God is an oath212,274 people
- Daiane♀Form of Diane and Diana, 'divine'200,981 people
- Michele♀Feminine form of Michel (Miguel), 'who is like God?'187,281 people
More names of Hebrew origin
See all- Ana♀Grace, favor3,948,650 people
- Jéssica♀Probably from the biblical name Iscah, perhaps 'he will see'450,167 people
- Débora♀Bee322,208 people
- Jaqueline♀Feminine form of Jacques, a name that goes back to Jacob, explained…288,717 people
- Raquel♀Ewe282,435 people
- Josefa♀Feminine form of Joseph, 'he will add'274,653 people
- Geovana♀Variant of Giovanna, the Italian feminine of João, 'Yahweh is…185,085 people
- Edna♀Pleasure, delight183,091 people
Spotted a mistake? Report a correction for Joana with a source. See the methodology.