Joanna
Meaning and origin
Wiktionary describes it as a female given name from Latin [in turn from Hebrew]. From Latin Joanna, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννα (Iōánna), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָה (Yôḥānāh, literally “God is gracious”), the feminized form of יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān) which produced John and its many doublets. Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena.
Source: Wiktionary, English entry for Joanna (CC BY-SA 4.0). This is the origin of the name in English; families in Sweden may have taken it from another language.
Popularity in Sweden
Among newborns, Joanna has been falling over the last few years. Its best year between 1998 and 2022 was 1998. The figures are for this exact spelling; other spellings of the name are counted on their own.
Years with fewer than two babies (fewer than ten before 2004) show as zero in the chart and as – in the table.
Show the figures
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 36 |
| 1999 | 28 |
| 2000 | 24 |
| 2001 | 24 |
| 2002 | 22 |
| 2003 | 20 |
| 2004 | 19 |
| 2005 | 20 |
| 2006 | 18 |
| 2007 | 24 |
| 2008 | 9 |
| 2009 | 7 |
| 2010 | 13 |
| 2011 | 12 |
| 2012 | 13 |
| 2013 | 9 |
| 2014 | 9 |
| 2015 | 10 |
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 12 |
| 2018 | 8 |
| 2019 | 12 |
| 2020 | 8 |
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2022 | 6 |
Everyone registered in Sweden on 31 December with this as the first name they use.
Show the figures
| Year | Women and girls |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 2,037 |
| 2000 | 2,065 |
| 2001 | 2,107 |
| 2002 | 2,154 |
| 2003 | 2,192 |
| 2004 | 2,253 |
| 2005 | 2,321 |
| 2006 | 2,415 |
| 2007 | 2,539 |
| 2008 | 2,643 |
| 2009 | 2,706 |
| 2010 | 2,752 |
| 2011 | 2,834 |
| 2012 | 2,884 |
| 2013 | 2,940 |
| 2014 | 2,997 |
| 2015 | 3,054 |
| 2016 | 3,110 |
| 2017 | 3,165 |
| 2018 | 3,201 |
| 2019 | 3,208 |
| 2020 | 3,225 |
Joanna in a sentence
- Hej! Jag heter Joanna.Hi! My name is Joanna.
- Har du träffat Joanna? Hon började jobba här i måndags.Have you met Joanna? She started working here on Monday.
- Jag ska fika med Joanna i eftermiddag.I'm having coffee with Joanna this afternoon.
- Joannas mamma är lärare.Joanna's mum is a teacher.
Swedish shows possession with a plain -s and no apostrophe: Joannas mamma is Joanna's mum.
Related names and other spellings
More names
Questions about Joanna
How do you pronounce Joanna in Swedish?
Press Listen at the top of the page to hear Joanna in your device's Swedish voice.
What does the name Joanna mean?
Wiktionary describes it as a female given name from Latin [in turn from Hebrew]. From Latin Joanna, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννα (Iōánna), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָה (Yôḥānāh, literally “God is gracious”), the feminized form of יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān) which produced John and its many doublets. Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena.
How popular is Joanna in Sweden?
6 babies were named Joanna in 2022. In 2020, 3,225 people in Sweden had Joanna as the first name they go by. Among newborns the name has been falling lately and peaked in 1998 in the years SCB covers (1998–2022).
Popularity figures: Statistics Sweden (SCB), name statistics (BE0001) from the Statistical Database, released as open data under CC0. Each spelling is counted as its own name, as SCB does. SCB's open name statistics end with babies named in 2022 and the population on 31 December 2020; SCB stopped producing name statistics in 2024 and now points to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for newer figures.
Origins, IPA and recordings: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), via kaikki.org; recordings from Lingua Libre on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Lingolib is not affiliated with SCB or Wiktionary. Sources last checked 7 October 2026.