Jovana
A feminine given name of Slavic origin meaning "young" or "youthful".
Name Census estimates that about 1,981 living Americans carry the first name Jovana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jovana today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jovana births was 2001 (185 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jovana. 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
2.0K
~ 1 in 173,021 Americans
Peak year
2001
185 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,249
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Jovana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jovana from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 720 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jovana 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 Jovana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jovanas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Jovana, while North Carolina, Michigan, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 105 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jovana
The given name Jovana has its origins in the Slavic languages, particularly in the Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, and Slovenian cultures. The name is derived from the Latin name Ioviāna, which in turn comes from the Roman god Jupiter, also known as Jove.
The name Jovana is believed to have first appeared in the Balkans region during the Middle Ages, around the 11th to 15th centuries. It was a popular name among Slavic populations during this period, particularly in regions that were influenced by the Roman Empire and later adopted Christianity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jovana can be found in the Serbian epic poetry cycle known as the "Kosovo Cycle," which dates back to the late 14th century. The cycle features a character named Jovana, who is the wife of the Serbian prince Lazar Hrebeljanović.
In the 16th century, a famous Serbian princess named Jovana Nenadović lived during the Ottoman rule in Serbia. She was known for her courage and leadership in defending her people against the Ottoman forces.
During the 17th century, a notable figure named Jovana Milutinović was a Serbian poetess and writer who made significant contributions to the literary culture of her time.
In the 19th century, Jovana Simić was a Serbian educator and feminist who advocated for women's rights and education. She established one of the first schools for girls in Serbia.
Another historical figure with the name Jovana was Jovana Banjac, a Serbian painter and artist who lived in the early 20th century and was known for her portraits and landscapes.
While the name Jovana has its roots in the Slavic cultures, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Slavic populations or influence.
People
Jovana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jovana 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
Jovana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jovana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,981 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jovana 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 173,021 US residents.
Is Jovana a common name?
We classify Jovana as "Rare". It ranks above 93.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,040 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jovana most popular?
The single biggest year for Jovana was 2001, when 185 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jovana is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jovana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jovana 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.