UK girl's name
Joann
A feminine name derived from Latin "Ioanna" meaning "God is gracious".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2018. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Joann is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Joann popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2018 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5666, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1998, with 4 births.
This profile covers 20 England and Wales registrations across 6 recorded years from 1996 to 2018. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 75% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 76 living people in the UK are called Joann. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2019 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Joann ranked #5666 for girls in England and Wales in 2018, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1998, when 4 girls were registered as Joann.
- • Joann ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #629 in 1994.
- • About 76 living people in the UK are estimated to have Joann as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5666
2018
Births in 2018
3
Latest year
Peak year
1998
4 births
Estimated living
76
2026
Meaning
What does Joann mean?
The name Joann is an English feminine given name derived from the Hebrew name Johanan, which means "Graced by God" or "God is gracious". It is a combination of the Hebrew elements "Yo" meaning "God" and "hanan" meaning "he was gracious".
The name Joann has its roots in the ancient Hebrew language and can be traced back to the Old Testament. It is a variant of the name Joan, which was originally derived from the Latin name Iohannes, the masculine form of the Hebrew name Johanan.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Joann dates back to the 13th century. Joann of Acre (c. 1210-1285) was a Frankish princess and the daughter of King John of Brienne and Queen Maria of Montferrat. She was a prominent figure during the Crusades and played a significant role in the political and military affairs of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Another notable historical figure with the name Joann was Joann Sfar (1671-1753), an Italian painter and printmaker from Rome. She was known for her intricate engravings and was a member of the prestigious Accademia di San Luca, an academy for artists in Rome.
In the 19th century, Joann Woodcock (1828-1910) was an American businesswoman and philanthropist from New York. She was instrumental in establishing several charitable organizations and was actively involved in various social and educational initiatives.
Joann Mukundan (1873-1944) was an Indian social reformer and activist from Kerala. She played a pivotal role in the movement for women's education and empowerment in the region and was a pioneer in the field of women's rights.
One of the most famous individuals with the name Joann was Joann Rowling (1965-), the British author best known for the Harry Potter book series. Her books have sold over 500 million copies worldwide and have been translated into numerous languages, making her one of the most celebrated and influential authors of our time.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Joann over time
The chart below shows babies named Joann registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2018. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Joann, the clearest high point is 1998. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2018, compared with 4 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Joann by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Joann was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #5720 | 9 | 3 |
| 2000s | #4524 | 4 | 1 |
| 1990s | #3469 | 7 | 2 |
Geography
Where Joann is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Joann. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Joann ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #629 in 1994.
Across the UK
Joann in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#629 in 1994
14 years of NRS records, 57 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Joann
-
Joann Condon
actor
British actress
1970-
-
Joann Fletcher
Egyptologist; archaeologist; necropolis scholar
British egyptologist
1966-
-
Joann Tang
singer; television presenter; radio personality; actor; model
Hong Kong actress, singer, and television presenter
1965-
Related
Names similar to Joann
- Jessica 105,041
- Jasmine 35,227
- Jade 19,646
- Julia 11,780
- Jennifer 11,529
- Jodie 9,357
- Jemima 6,454
- Josephine 5,889
- Jessie 5,418
- Josie 5,284
- Jasmin 4,706
- Jenna 4,646
FAQ
Joann: questions and answers
How popular is the name Joann in the UK right now?
In 2018, Joann was ranked #5666 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Joann most popular?
The peak year on record was 1998, with 4 babies registered as Joann in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Joann?
A feminine name derived from Latin "Ioanna" meaning "God is gracious".
How many people are called Joann in the UK?
A total of 20 babies have been registered as Joann across the 6 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 57 more in Scotland.
Where is Joann most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Joann ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #629 in 1994. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.