Girl · #1,215 in 2026

Joan

Joan is both a feminine form of the personal name John given to girls in the Anglosphere as well as the native masculine form of John in the Catalan-Valencian and Occitan languages. In both cases, the name is derived from the Greek via the Latin Ioannes and Ioanna, and is thus cognate with John and related to its many forms, including its derived feminine forms.

Current Rank
#1,215
Peak Rank
#5 (1932)
Total Babies
481K
5-Yr Trend
+33%
1880
First Year
2026
Last Year
1932
Peak Year
#5
Peak Rank
481K
Total Count
147
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Joan

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Joan is both a feminine form of the personal name John given to girls in the Anglosphere as well as the native masculine form of John in the Catalan-Valencian and Occitan languages. In both cases, the name is derived from the Greek via the Latin Ioannes and Ioanna, and is thus cognate with John and related to its many forms, including its derived feminine forms.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Origin & history
The Anglosphere female name Joan entered the English language through the Old French forms, Johanne and Jehanne , female variants of the male name Johannes . In Catalan-Valencian and Occitan, Joan ( .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%} pronounced [ (d)ʒuˈan ] ) has been in continuous use as the native, masculine form of John since at least the Middle Ages. Its feminine counterpart in these languages is Joana . Historically, Joan and J

The Story of Joan

Joan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 12 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1932, when 21,044 Joans were born — ranking #5 that year. As of 2026, Joan ranks #1,215 for baby girls with 193 births, rising sharply (+33% over the past five years). In total, more than 481K Joans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

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Names that sound like Joan

Phonetically similar names — useful when Joan is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Joan

What does the name Joan mean?
Joan is both a feminine form of the personal name John given to girls in the Anglosphere as well as the native masculine form of John in the Catalan-Valencian and Occitan languages. In both cases, the name is derived from the Greek via the Latin Ioannes and Ioanna, and is thus cognate with John and related to its many forms, including its derived feminine forms.
How popular is Joan in 2026?
In 2026, Joan ranks #1,215 among girls' names in the U.S., with 193 babies given the name that year.
When was Joan most popular?
Joan reached its peak popularity in 1932, ranking #5 that year with 21,044 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Joan most popular?
Joan has historically been most popular in New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Joan.
Is Joan a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Joan is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Joan?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Joan include Minnie, Donna, Angela. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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About the name Joan

Joan is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 481K births in the dataset. Joan's peak popularity came in 1932 when it ranked #5. Use the chart and map above to compare Joan's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.