Joanna

Joanna is a feminine given name deriving from Koine Greek Ἰωάννα Iōanna. Variants in English include Joan, Joann, Joanne, and Johanna. Other forms of the name in English are Jan, Jane, Janet, Janice, Jean, and Jeanne.

Joanna

Pronunciation	English: /dʒoʊˈænə/
Gender	female
Origin
Word/name	Hebrew > Greek
Meaning	God is gracious
Other names
Related names	Jan, Jane, Janet, Janice, Jean, Joan, Joanne, Johanna

In other languages

• Amharic - ዮሐና Yohäna
• Arabic - يُوَنّا Yuwannā
• Armenian - Յովհաննա Hovhanna, Օհաննա Ōhanna
• Breton - Janed
• Bulgarian - Йоана Ioana, Yoana; Ивана Ivana; Яна Yana
  • diminutive Яница Yanitsa
• Catalan - Joana
• Chinese -
  • Modern 喬安娜 Qiáo ān nuó (literally 'tall, peaceful, graceful')
  • Biblical 約亞拿 Yāo yà ná
• Croatian - Ivana, Jana
• Czech - Jana
• Danish - Johanne
• Finnish - Johanna, Jonna
• French - Jeanne
  • diminutive Jeannette, Janine
  • Old French - Jehane
• Georgian - იოანნა Ioanna
• German - Johanna
  • diminutive Hanne
• Greek - Ιωάννα Ioanna
  • Modern Greek - Γιάννα Yanna
    • diminutive Γιαννούλα Yannoula
• Hebrew - יוחנה Yoḥanna
• Hungarian - Johanna, Jana
  • diminutive Hanna, Janka
• Icelandic - Jóhanna
• Irish - Siobhán
  • diminutive Sinéad
• Italian - Giovanna
  • diminutive Gianna, Giannina, Vanna, Nina, Zana
• Latin - Joanna, Johanna
• Lithuanian - Joana
• Malayalam േയാഹന്നാ Yōhannā
• Polish - Joanna
  • diminutive Joasia, Asia, Asieńka, Aśka, Asiunia
• Portuguese - Joana
• Romanian - Ioana
• Russian - Яна Yana, Иоанна Ioanna, Жанна Zhanna, Ивана Ivana
  • diminutive Янина Yanina, Яника Yanika
• Serbian - Јована Jovana
  • diminutive Јованка Jovanka
• Slovak - Jana
• Spanish - Juana
  • diminutive Juanita
• Swedish - Johanna
  • diminutive Hanna
• Syriac - ܝܘܚܢ Yoanna
• Tamil - யோவன்னா Yōvannā
• Welsh - Siân

The earliest recorded occurrence of the name Joanna, in Luke 8:3, refers to the disciple "Joanna the wife of Chuza," who was an associate of Mary Magdalene. Her name as given is Greek in form, although it ultimately originated from the Hebrew masculine name יְהוֹחָנָן Yehôḥānān 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 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 Yôḥānnāh was borne by men in earlier centuries, but in modern usage it has become feminine, to provide a Hebrew equivalent for the name Joanna and its variants. The Christian Arabic form of John is يوحنّا Yūḥannā, based on the Syriac 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, 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'.

Women named Joanna

• Saint Joanna, one of the women associated with the ministry of Jesus Christ. She brought myrrh to Christ's sepulchre and discovered the empty tomb (Luke 24:10).
• Joanna of Flanders, Duchess of Brittany
• Joanna, Duchess of Brabant
• Joanna I of Naples
• Joanna II of Naples
• Joanna of Navarre, consort of King Henry IV of England
• Saint Joana, Crown Princess of Portugal
• Joanna of Castile, queen regnant of Castile, known as Joanna the Mad
• Jeanne, Countess of Flanders
• Joanna (Brazilian singer), Brazilian romantic singer/songwritter; not be confused with Joanna Pacitti
• Joanna Baillie, Scottish poet and playwright
• Joanna Cameron, an American actress who played Isis on The Secrets of Isis
• Joanna Cassidy, American actress
• Joanna Garcia, American actress
• Joanna Gleason, Canadian actress
• Joanna Gosling, British journalist
• Joanna Kerns, an American actress who played Maggie Seaver on Growing Pains.
• Joanna Krupa, a Polish model and actress
• Joanna Lumley, English actress and former model
• Joanna MacGregor, classical jazz and contemporary pianist
• Joanna Newsom, an American harpist, singer, and songwriter
• Joanna Pacitti, a singer, known simply as Joanna
• Joanna Pacula, a Polish actress
• Joanna Russ, an American science fiction author known for her writing on radical feminist themes, author of The Female Man
• Joanna Scanlan, English actress and television writer
• Joanna Smolarek, a Polish track and field sprinter
• Joanna Stone, an Australian javelin thrower
• Joanna Levesque, an American singer; credited as Joanna 'JoJo' Levesque in her acting career
• Joanna "Jojo" Hernandez, starred in the first season of The Oxygen Network's hit reality show The Bad Girls Club.

Joanna in popular culture

• Joanna is the title of a 1925 American silent movie and a 1968 British musical movie.
• Joanna is the name of a goanna, a reptile, in The Rescuers Down Under.
• Joanna is the name of the main character in Erich Maria Remarque's novel Arch of Triumph.

Songs containing references to 'Joanna'

• "Joanna" by Cris Williamson
• "Joanna" by Kool & the Gang
• "Joanna" by Scott Walker, later recorded by Peter Grant
• "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" by The Scissor Sisters
• "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis
• "Gimme Hope Jo'anna" by Eddie Grant, about the city of Johannesburg, capital of the Republic of South Africa.
• "Little Joanna" by Mcfly
• "When Joanna Loved Me" by Tony Bennett
• "Johanna" from the musical Sweeney Todd
• "Get Busy" by Sean Paul
• "Visions of Johanna" by Bob Dylan
• "God Told Me To" by Paul Kelly
• "God Bless Joanna" by Neil Sedaka
• "Jo-Anna Says" by Per Gessle
• "Johanna (Parts 1 & 2)", "Johanna (Act II)" by Stephen Sondheim in the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• "Johanna Shut Up!" - Crazy Loop
• "A-Punk" by Vampire Weekend
• "Joanna" by Watashi Wa

In literature

• The Cloning of Joanna May, a science fiction novel by Fay Weldon.

Other uses

• Joanna (butterfly), a genus of butterflies in the grass skipper family.
• Joanna (typeface), a serif typeface designed by Eric Gill.
• "The Joanna" or "the old Joanna" are nicknames given to the piano.

External links

• "Joanna" at Edgar's Name Pages - with history, naming frequency statistics, related names, and famous namebearers
• Icons of St. Joanna the Myrrh-Bearer here and here