Johnna
A feminine form of the name John, derived from Hebrew meaning "God is gracious".
Name Census estimates that about 8,764 living Americans carry the first name Johnna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Johnna today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Johnna births was 1963 (617 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Johnna. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
8.8K
~ 1 in 39,109 Americans
Peak year
1963
617 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,372
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
Johnna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Johnna from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 2,907 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Johnna by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Johnna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Johnnas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 39 states and territories. Texas, California, Ohio recorded the most babies named Johnna, while Montana, Maine, Wisconsin recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 158 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Johnna
The name Johnna is a feminine variant of the name John, which has its roots in the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious." The name was popularized by the biblical figure John the Baptist and later by the apostle John. The name has been in use since ancient times, with various spellings and forms across different cultures and languages.
In the early Christian era, the name John gained widespread popularity and was commonly used among the faithful. It was particularly popular in regions where Christianity flourished, such as Europe and the Middle East. The name Johnna emerged as a feminine form of John in several European languages, including English, German, and Scandinavian languages.
The earliest recorded use of the name Johnna dates back to the 12th century in England, where it was spelled as "Johanna." This spelling was influenced by the Latin and Greek forms of the name, "Iohannes" and "Ioannes," respectively. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Johanna, Joanna, and eventually Johnna.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Johnna. One of the earliest recorded figures was Johnna of Constantinople (c. 460-527), a Byzantine empress and the wife of Emperor Anastasius I. Another notable figure was Johnna of Montfort (c. 1292-1349), a French noblewoman who played a significant role in the Hundred Years' War.
In the 16th century, Johnna of Castile (1479-1555), also known as Juana la Loca, was the Queen of Castile and Aragon. She is renowned for her turbulent reign and alleged mental instability. Another famous Johnna was the Swedish playwright and novelist Johnna Spyri (1827-1901), best known for her children's book "Heidi."
During the 20th century, Johnna Woodruff (1923-2019) was an American tennis player and one of the leading African American athletes of her time. She won multiple Grand Slam titles and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985.
While the name Johnna has maintained a presence throughout history, its popularity has ebbed and flowed over time. It remains a poetic and elegant option for parents seeking a feminine name with deep historical roots and a connection to the biblical figure John.
People
Johnna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Johnna as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Johnna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Johnna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8,764 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Johnna going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 39,109 US residents.
Is Johnna a common name?
We classify Johnna as "Rare". It ranks above 97.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10,014 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Johnna most popular?
The single biggest year for Johnna was 1963, when 617 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Johnna is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Johnna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Johnna in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.