girls' name ★ peaked 1932

Joan

Meaning God is gracious Gender Girl · 2% boys Rank 2025 #1,087 Trend ↑ Rising 53%

A clipped or hypochoristic form of Joanna, from Latin Joanna, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννα (Iōánna), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָה (Yôḥānāh, literally “God is gracious”), the…

Rank 2025
#1,087
among girls · ↑153 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
454
named Joan · +11% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,240
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1932
21,132 babies
All-time total
488,939
#65 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Joan popularity over time

488,939 babies have been named Joan since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
6.2512.518.752518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 121 – 121 12 – #508
1890s 267 – 267 27 +121% #484
1900s 863 5 868 87 +225% #303
1910s 7,021 73 7,094 709 +717% #160
1920s 45,351 254 45,605 4,561 +543% #13
1930s 173,439 780 174,219 17,422 +282% #5
1940s 117,708 448 118,156 11,816 -32% #14
1950s 85,179 273 85,452 8,545 -28% #37
1960s 36,676 221 36,897 3,690 -57% #80
1970s 6,480 140 6,620 662 -82% #240
1980s 3,300 247 3,547 355 -46% #491
1990s 1,858 619 2,477 248 -30% #763
2000s 1,003 1,806 2,809 281 +13% #1,221
2010s 941 1,625 2,566 257 -9% #1,591
2020s (to 2025) 1,031 1,210 2,241 374 +46% #1,087

Where Joan is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 239 0.15 outside top 500
2027 254 0.16 outside top 500
2028 268 0.17 outside top 500
2029 281 0.17 outside top 500
2030 292 0.18 outside top 500

Where Joan is most popular

Girls named Joan per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.110 per 1,000. Strongest in Utah, Washington, and Indiana.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Joan born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Utah 22 0.264 +140%
Washington 33 0.228 +107%
Indiana 30 0.214 +94%
Connecticut 10 0.172 +56%
Michigan 31 0.170 +54%
Colorado 18 0.161 +46%
New York 60 0.152 +37%
Illinois 34 0.149 +35%
Ohio 35 0.148 +34%
Wisconsin 15 0.146 +32%
Pennsylvania 34 0.144 +30%
Virginia 24 0.141 +28%
Georgia 27 0.119 +8%
North Carolina 25 0.110 ≈ national
California 89 0.106 ≈ national
Texas 77 0.096 -13%
Kansas 5 0.087 -21%
Tennessee 10 0.063 -43%
New Jersey 11 0.061 -45%
Florida 26 0.061 -45%
Missouri 6 0.050 -55%
Arizona 6 0.043 -61%
Massachusetts 5 0.041 -62%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Joan

Joan is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,087 in 2025 with 222 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 488,939 American babies have been named Joan. Its peak came in 1932, when 21,132 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1930s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Joan stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Joan?

The median living Joan is about 76 years old; half are between 67 and 84. An estimated 247 thousand people named Joan are alive in the United States today.

median 76 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Joan year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 222 #1,087 232 #987
2024 188 #1,240 220 #1,016
2023 165 #1,365 200 #1,079
2022 161 #1,413 201 #1,088
2021 158 #1,387 185 #1,112
2020 137 #1,547 172 #1,135
2019 134 #1,591 165 #1,175
2018 118 #1,747 178 #1,104
2017 128 #1,680 172 #1,117
2016 112 #1,846 188 #1,052
2015 99 #2,001 170 #1,127
2014 75 #2,430 150 #1,220
2013 72 #2,496 168 #1,103
2012 79 #2,365 140 #1,261
2011 63 #2,780 144 #1,212
2010 61 #2,853 150 #1,198
2009 70 #2,627 178 #1,060
2008 68 #2,704 173 #1,083
2007 67 #2,728 217 #913
2006 80 #2,360 188 #990
2005 105 #1,852 173 #997
2004 94 #1,977 161 #1,021
2003 104 #1,806 139 #1,106
2002 111 #1,659 221 #782
2001 141 #1,357 186 #865
2000 163 #1,221 170 #912
1995 161 #1,103 41 #2,043
1990 271 #763 46 #1,742
1985 316 #601 23 #2,324
1980 422 #491 18 #2,670
1975 550 #378 10 #3,535
1970 1,308 #240 15 #2,444
1965 3,279 #116 19 #1,835
1960 5,881 #80 28 #1,538
1955 8,557 #46 32 #1,353
1950 8,860 #40 28 #1,378
1945 10,394 #25 24 #1,360
1940 13,292 #14 63 #785
1935 18,220 #7 90 #619
1930 15,478 #8 68 #780
1925 4,030 #66 27 #1,436
1920 1,647 #143 16 #2,094
1915 784 #210 7 #3,226
1910 196 #277 – –
1905 104 #332 – –
1900 57 #443 – –
1895 28 #569 – –
1890 18 #628 – –
1885 9 #772 – –
1880 12 #508 – –

Famous people named Joan

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Joan of Arc Joan of Arc French folk heroine and saint (1412–1431) Medieval
  2. 2 Joan Baez Joan Baez American contemporary folk musician (born 1941) Contemporary
  3. 3 Joan Crawford Joan Crawford American actress (1904?–1977) Contemporary
  4. 4 Joan Collins Joan Collins English actress and writer (born 1933) Contemporary
  5. 5 Joan Rivers Joan Rivers American comedian and television host (1933–2014) Contemporary
  6. 6 Joan Didion Joan Didion American writer (1934–2021) Contemporary
  7. 7 Joan Fontaine Joan Fontaine British-American actress (1917–2013) Contemporary
  8. 8 Joan Plowright Joan Plowright British actress (1929–2025) Contemporary
  9. 9 Joan Allen Joan Allen American actress (born 1956) Contemporary
  10. 10 Joan Clarke Joan Clarke English cryptanalyst (1917–1996) Contemporary
  11. 11 Joan Miró Joan Miró Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist (1893–1983) 19th century
  12. 12 Joan of Kent Joan of Kent Princess of Wales (c. 1328–1385) Medieval
  13. 13 Joan I of Navarre Joan I of Navarre Queen of Navarre from 1274 to 1305 1273–1305 · Medieval
  14. 14 Joan Gamper Joan Gamper Spanish-Swiss football executive and athlete (1877–1930) 19th century
  15. 15 Joan Sutherland Joan Sutherland Australian soprano (1926–2010) Contemporary
  16. 16 Joan II of Navarre Joan II of Navarre Queen of Navarre from 1328 to 1349 1311–1349 · Medieval
  17. 17 Joan of Navarre, Queen of England Joan of Navarre, Queen of England Queen of England from 1403 to 1413 1368–1437 · Medieval
  18. 18 Joan of France, Duchess of Berry Joan of France, Duchess of Berry Queen of France in 1498 1464–1505 · Medieval
  19. 19 Joan Robinson Joan Robinson English economist (1903–1983) Contemporary
  20. 20 Joan of England, Queen of Sicily Joan of England, Queen of Sicily Queen of Sicily from 1177 to 1189 1165–1199 · Medieval

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Joan, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Joan?

The median living Joan is about 76 years old. Half of all living Joans are between 67 and 84 years old.

How many people named Joan are alive today?

An estimated 247 thousand people named Joan are alive in the United States, based on 488,939 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Joan mean?

A clipped or hypochoristic form of Joanna, from Latin Joanna, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννα (Iōánna), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָה (Yôḥānāh, literally “God is gracious”), the feminized form of יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān) which produced John and its…

How popular is the name Joan in 2025?

Joan ranked #1,087 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 222 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Joan?

488,939 babies have been named Joan in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Joan most popular?

Joan peaked in 1932, when 21,132 newborns received the name.

Is Joan a boy or girl name?

Joan is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Joan rising or falling?

Joan is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Joan become more popular?

Joan is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 292 girls named Joan in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Joan?

Well-known people named Joan include Joan of Arc (military personnel), Joan Baez (singer), Joan Crawford (actor).

Names like Joan

Names that sound and feel close to Joan: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Joan with similar names → More names starting with J →