Ioanna

Meaning of Ioanna

Ioanna, pronounced ee-OH-nah, is the feminine form of the Greek Ioannes, itself derived from the Hebrew Yohanan meaning “God is gracious,” and has been integrated into Christian liturgical usage since antiquity, notably borne by several early saints and martyrs within the Eastern Orthodox tradition. Within the American naming landscape, the name emerged in the early 1970s and has since exhibited modest yet consistent usage, most recently ranking 937th in popularity among female given names in the United States in 2024, with annual registered occurrences fluctuating between six and twenty-three newborns over the past decade. Its morphological structure—comprising a disyllabic sequence initiated by a close front vowel diphthong followed by an open-mid vowel and a final schwa—reflects its classical Hellenic phonology and distinguishes it from its Latin-derived cognates Joanna and Johanna. Owing to its etymological lineage and ecclesiastical associations, Ioanna offers a choice that balances historical depth with technical precision, appealing to those seeking a name that conveys both semantic significance and phonetic clarity.

Pronunciation

Greek

• Pronunced as ee-OH-nah (/i.o.ˈna/)

• Gianna
• Joanna
• Yoana
• Yohanna
• Iolanda
• Jovanna
• Ivanna