Johanna
The German and Scandinavian cousin of Joanna, from a Hebrew name for "God is gracious". Only around 350 women in Poland carry it, so most Poles have never met one.
Johanna Pronunciation
Johanna is pronounced yo-KHAHN-nah (/jɔˈxanna/).
What Johanna means
Where Johanna comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Johanna reaches back to the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "God is gracious." It moved through Greek and Latin before settling among German and Scandinavian speakers as the feminine of Johannes, the northern form of John. The form travelled well, and in Sweden and Finland it remains an ordinary given name.
In Poland the name took its own shape as Joanna, and from Joanna comes Asia, the warm short form a girl answers to when a teacher reads the class register aloud. Two names, one root. A child can be Johanna on the official form at the urząd and Asia to everyone who knows her.
The meaning has held its ground. "God is gracious" speaks of grace as a gift rather than a wage, and that idea crossed every border the name did. Polish keeps it plainly: bóg jest łaskawy.
How many people are named Johanna
1 in 63864 women in Poland is named Johanna. 353 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #1597 among female names.
Johanna's popularity over time
Fewer than 2 girls were given the name in 2025. It has been falling steadily since 2000.
Johanna as a middle name
Johanna is a first name for 353 women in Poland and a middle name for another 409, a 46/54 split, almost evenly. In the women's middle-name ranking it sits 338th, between Jagna (412) and Ramona (407).
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#336 Catherine416
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#337 Jagna412
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#338 Johanna409
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#339 Ramona407
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#340 Wanesa407