Girl · #3,050 in 2026

Joann

Jo-Ann Stores, LLC, was an American specialty retail chain that specialized in fabrics and arts and crafts supplies. The chain was based in Hudson, Ohio, and had operated over 800 stores across 49 U.S. states until the beginning of 2025. By the end of February 2025, the company began the process of liquidating all of its stores after failing to obtain a buyer.

Current Rank
#3,050
Peak Rank
#50 (1942)
Total Babies
157K
5-Yr Trend
-12%
1891
First Year
2026
Last Year
1942
Peak Year
#50
Peak Rank
157K
Total Count
131
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Joann

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

Jo-Ann Stores, LLC, was an American specialty retail chain that specialized in fabrics and arts and crafts supplies. The chain was based in Hudson, Ohio, and had operated over 800 stores across 49 U.S. states until the beginning of 2025. By the end of February 2025, the company began the process of liquidating all of its stores after failing to obtain a buyer.

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

Origin & history
Older Jo-Ann store in Henderson, Nevada , as shown in 2008 German immigrants Hilda and Berthold Reich, Sigmund and Mathilda Rohrbach, and Justin and Alma Zimmerman opened the Cleveland Fabric Shop in Cleveland , Ohio in 1943. After further expansion, the store's name was changed to Jo-Ann Fabrics in 1963. The store's name was created by combining the names of the daughters from both families: Joan and Jacqueline Ann. Jo-Ann Fabrics became a publicly held corporation traded on the American Stock Exchange under the name of Fabri-Centers of America, Inc. in 1969. The company made its first acquis

The Story of Joann

Joann first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1891, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1942, when 4,506 Joanns were born — ranking #58 that year. As of 2026, Joann ranks #3,050 for baby girls with 53 births, gradually falling (-12%). In total, more than 157K Joanns have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1890s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Joann

Phonetically similar names — useful when Joann 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 Joann

What does the name Joann mean?
Jo-Ann Stores, LLC, was an American specialty retail chain that specialized in fabrics and arts and crafts supplies. The chain was based in Hudson, Ohio, and had operated over 800 stores across 49 U.S. states until the beginning of 2025. By the end of February 2025, the company began the process of liquidating all of its stores after failing to obtain a buyer.
How popular is Joann in 2026?
In 2026, Joann ranks #3,050 among girls' names in the U.S., with 53 babies given the name that year.
When was Joann most popular?
Joann reached its peak popularity in 1942, ranking #50 that year with 4,506 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Joann most popular?
Joann has historically been most popular in Nevada, Hawaii, North Dakota. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Joann.
Is Joann a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Joann is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Joann?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Joann include Sylvia, Madeline, Jocelyn. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

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Madeline
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Jocelyn
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Sheila
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Vicki
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Brandi
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About the name Joann

Joann is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1891 and has accumulated 157K births in the dataset. Joann's peak popularity came in 1942 when it ranked #50. Use the chart and map above to compare Joann'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.