Fun Facts About the Name Ioanna
- 592 babies named Ioanna: U.S. records list 592 babies given the name Ioanna from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ioanna Mean?
Ioanna is the Greek feminine form of Ioannes (John), and it means "God is gracious" or "Yahweh is gracious." The name behind it is the Hebrew Yochanan, built from a shortened form of the divine name YHWH joined to chanan, a verb meaning "to be gracious" or "to show favor." The Greek feminine ending -a was added to the masculine Ioannes, giving Ioanna. The meaning is a statement about God's favor, not a description of the person who bears the name.
Ioanna Name History & Origins
The name is attested in Greek as Ἰωάννα in the Gospel of Luke, where Joanna (Ioanna) is named as a woman who supported Jesus' ministry and later as one of the women who reported the empty tomb. This makes the Greek form one of the earliest recorded feminine names in the Joanna family.
Behind the Greek stands the Hebrew Yochanan, which was current in Jewish usage and passed into Greek in the form Ioannes. From that masculine Greek name the feminine Ioanna was formed. In the Latin-speaking West the corresponding form developed as Joanna, which in turn became the source of English Joanna, Joan, and Jane. Ioanna belongs to the Greek branch of that family rather than the Latin one, and it remains the ordinary Greek form of the feminine name.
Because Greek-speaking Christianity used Ioanna from an early period, the name spread with the Greek church and Greek settlement rather than through the Latin West. It stayed common in Greece and Cyprus, and it is also found in other Orthodox and Greek-influenced communities. Forms such as Romanian Ioana and Slavic Ivana are related developments in those languages, not the Greek name itself. The unrelated Greek name Io (a figure in Greek myth) is spelled similarly but has no connection to Ioanna.
How Popular is the Name Ioanna?
Ioanna has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2016. Its best rank was #4,333 in 1978.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,996 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2024 | #8,113 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2022 | #6,827 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2021 | #7,060 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2020 | #14,104 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #10,812 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #10,094 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #9,564 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #5,694 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2015 | #7,765 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2014 | #6,551 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2013 | #8,300 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2012 | #6,968 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2011 | #8,359 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2010 | #8,426 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2009 | #8,198 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2008 | #6,902 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2007 | #8,707 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2006 | #8,422 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #9,704 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2004 | #6,327 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2003 | #7,001 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2001 | #8,400 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2000 | #9,433 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1999 | #15,303 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #8,586 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1996 | #12,409 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #10,950 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #7,796 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #7,190 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1992 | #8,306 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #13,977 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #9,581 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #9,039 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #6,980 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1986 | #4,810 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1985 | #7,166 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #8,482 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #4,785 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1981 | #7,650 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #6,990 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1979 | #4,486 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1978 | #4,333 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1977 | #7,119 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #4,716 | 13 | 0.0009% |
| 1975 | #5,271 | 11 | 0.0008% |
| 1974 | #5,496 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1973 | #7,779 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1972 | #6,811 | 7 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Ioanna Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You like to use the pen or the needle (writing, fashion design etc). You are loving, compassionate, intuitive and humanitarian. Runs of luck, either good or bad, follow you. You are sympathetic, but at times might be touchy and oversensitive. You may have a gift for writing. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Ioanna's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ioanna's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.