Joan

English variation of Johanna

"God is gracious"

Joan Origin and Meaning

The name Joan is a girl's name of English origin meaning "God is gracious".

Joan was the perfect name choice for one of the leading characters on Mad Men, being a quintessential girls' name of the period. A Top 10 name in the 30s, a Top 50 name from the 40s through the early 60s, it was the fifth most popular name in the country for three years running and ranks as one of the most common names for girls in the 20th century. But alas, Joan hasn't even appeared in the Top 1000 for a dozen years, and these days it's primarily associated with Joans of the generation of Joan Crawford, Joan Collins and Joan Rivers--just a few of the noted Joans whose ranks also include the singers Joan Sutherland, Joan Baez, Joan Armatrading and Joan Jett. But it's possible that modern parents who are reviving Jane might move on to Joan, inspired by Joan Hollaway Harris.

The first English bearer of the name was Henry II's daughter, Jhone, but the modern spelling was soon established, which is why Saint Jeanne d'Arc was translated as Joan, making her the most illustrious wearer of the name. By Shakespeare's time, Joan had become so overused that it was ripe for replacement by the newly coined Jane, the reverse of what happened in twentieth-century America.

Some livelier foreign versions of Joan include Giovanna, Siobhan, Ione and Juana.

Joan Rank in US Top 1000

# 896 in the US

Joan Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 469 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Joan

• 469 Nameberry 2025
• 377 Unique 2023
• 783 Future 2028

20 Names Similar to Joan

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Joan.

• Mildred
• Edna
• Judith
• Lois
• Susanna
• Dora
• Doris
• Gladys
• Francine
• Gertrude
• Hilda
• Martha
• Virginia
• Gloria
• Marjorie
• Nancy
• Jean
• Bernadette
• Dolores
• Geraldine

Famous People Named Joan

• Saint Joan of Arc French national heroine
• Joan Princess of Wales and Lady of Snowdon
• Joan of Kent "The Fair Maid of Kent," Princess of Wales
• Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur) American actress
• Joan Fontaine American actress
• Joan Ann Plowright Baroness Olivier, English actress
• Joan Alexandra Rivers American comedienne
• Joan Marie Jett American musician, lead singer of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
• Joan Didion American author
• Joan Ganz Cooney American TV producer; creator of Sesame Street
• Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading Kittitian,British singer
• Joan Chandos Baez American singer,songwriter
• Joan Henrietta Collins English actress and novelist
• Joan Allen American actress
• Joan Cusack American actress
• Joan Alston Sutherland Australian operatic soprano
• Melissa Joan Hart American actress
• Joan Smalls (Rodriguez) Puerto Rican supermodel
• Joan Letitia LaCock birth name of American actress Joanne Dru
• Joan Benoit Samuelson American Olympic marathoner
• (Beatrice) Joan Caulfield American actress
• Joan Bogle Hickson English actress
• Joan Alison Turner Jara British,Chilean dancer, widow of dancer Victor Jara
• (Virginia) Joan Bennett Kennedy wife of U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy
• Joan Marie Laurer aka Chyna American pro wrestler and actress
• Joan Lindsay Lady Lindsay, Australian novelist
• Joan Orenstein British,Canadian actress
• Joan Beaufort Countess of Westmorland
• Joan Olivia Wyndham English memoirist
• Joan Clarke British cryptanalyst and numismatist
• Joan Shakespeare sister of William Shakespeare
• Joan Taylor (born Rose Marie Emma) American actress
• Joan Vollmer the most prominent female member of the early Beat Generation circle
• Joan Delano Aiken English author of supernatural fiction and children's alternative history novels, and daughter of Pulitzer Prize,winning author Conrad Aiken
• Joan of Acre Medieval English princess, she secretly remarried below her status for love and was known for her independent nature

The name Joan in Pop Culture

• Joan mythical female pope
• Joan Holloway Harris character on TV's "Mad Men"
• Joan Callamezzo character on TV's "Parks and Recreation"
• Joan Campbell character on TV's "Covert Affairs"
• Joan Watson character on TV's "Elementary"
• Joan Leland character in DC Universe
• Joan character in movie "The Way Way Back"
• Joan Girardi main character on TV's "Joan of Arcadia"
• "Little Jumping Joan " nursery rhyme
• Joan character in the graphic novel/musical "Fun Home"
• Joan Terry character in the "St Clare" book series by Enid Blyton
• Joan Millar character on TV's "Love Child"
• Joan Lawson mother on “Small Wonder”

International Variations of the name Joan

• Jone Basque
• Sion Welsh
• Siobhán Irish Gaelic
• Seonag Scottish Gaelic
• Jeanne French