girls' name ★ peaked 1956

Joni

Meaning Commonly used as a diminutive of Joan Gender Girl · 2% boys Rank 2025 #1,803 Trend ↑ Rising 49%

Commonly used as a diminutive of Joan.

Rank 2025
#1,803
among girls · ↑73 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
124
named Joni · -1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 14,351
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1956
1,584 babies
All-time total
29,502
#856 all-time among girls
First recorded
1930
in Social Security records

Joni popularity over time

29,502 babies have been named Joni since 1930, 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
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s 93 – 93 9 – #1,724
1940s 435 5 440 44 +373% #1,112
1950s 9,218 44 9,262 926 +2005% #204
1960s 8,274 59 8,333 833 -10% #230
1970s 4,213 69 4,282 428 -49% #333
1980s 4,166 65 4,231 423 -1% #319
1990s 919 114 1,033 103 -76% #1,053
2000s 463 133 596 60 -42% #2,266
2010s 488 128 616 62 +3% #2,637
2020s (to 2025) 546 70 616 103 +67% #1,803

Where Joni 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 120 0.07 outside top 500
2027 128 0.08 outside top 500
2028 135 0.08 outside top 500
2029 141 0.09 outside top 500
2030 147 0.09 outside top 500

Where Joni is most popular

Girls named Joni per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.057 per 1,000. Strongest in Oregon, California, and New York.

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 Joni 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
Oregon 12 0.184 +222%
California 66 0.079 +37%
New York 31 0.078 +37%
Utah 6 0.072 +26%
Pennsylvania 13 0.055 ≈ national
North Carolina 12 0.053 -8%
Minnesota 5 0.046 -19%
Tennessee 6 0.038 -34%
Michigan 5 0.027 -52%
Texas 22 0.027 -52%
Georgia 5 0.022 -62%
Florida 5 0.012 -80%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Joni

Joni is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #1,803 in 2025 with 112 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1930, 29,502 American babies have been named Joni. Its peak came in 1956, when 1,584 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

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 Joni stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Joni?

The median living Joni is about 60 years old; half are between 45 and 67. An estimated 27 thousand people named Joni are alive in the United States today.

median 60 020406080100

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

Joni 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 112 #1,803 12 #6,988
2024 107 #1,876 18 #5,327
2023 81 #2,279 11 #7,494
2022 85 #2,218 7 #10,299
2021 80 #2,298 9 #8,491
2020 81 #2,230 13 #6,455
2019 66 #2,637 8 #9,274
2018 62 #2,765 13 #6,521
2017 58 #2,883 16 #5,653
2016 62 #2,780 19 #5,033
2015 47 #3,407 13 #6,500
2014 50 #3,250 12 #6,843
2013 31 #4,582 14 #6,064
2012 47 #3,439 14 #6,135
2011 34 #4,294 12 #6,788
2010 31 #4,667 7 #10,183
2009 43 #3,704 15 #5,943
2008 43 #3,741 15 #5,915
2007 37 #4,164 18 #5,103
2006 44 #3,588 9 #8,363
2005 36 #3,990 12 #6,405
2004 33 #4,217 18 #4,685
2003 52 #2,930 9 #7,533
2002 48 #3,034 13 #5,556
2001 58 #2,614 13 #5,517
2000 69 #2,266 11 #6,109
1995 83 #1,751 13 #4,651
1990 170 #1,053 8 #6,116
1985 308 #614 10 #4,198
1980 757 #319 12 #3,506
1975 380 #486 13 #2,993
1970 344 #545 5 #5,081
1965 717 #339 9 #2,887
1960 1,385 #230 6 #3,852
1955 1,450 #212 – –
1950 47 #1,339 – –
1945 36 #1,343 – –
1940 41 #1,139 – –
1935 8 #3,302 – –
1930 7 #3,851 – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Joni

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

  1. 1 Joni Mitchell Joni Mitchell Canadian singer-songwriter (born 1943) Contemporary
  2. 2 Joni Ernst Joni Ernst American politician and military officer (born 1970) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Joni?

The median living Joni is about 60 years old. Half of all living Jonis are between 45 and 67 years old.

How many people named Joni are alive today?

An estimated 27 thousand people named Joni are alive in the United States, based on 29,502 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Joni mean?

Commonly used as a diminutive of Joan.

How popular is the name Joni in 2025?

Joni ranked #1,803 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 112 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Joni?

29,502 babies have been named Joni in the United States since 1930, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Joni most popular?

Joni peaked in 1956, when 1,584 newborns received the name.

Is Joni a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Joni rising or falling?

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

Will Joni become more popular?

Joni is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 147 girls named Joni 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 Joni?

Well-known people named Joni include Joni Mitchell (musician), Joni Ernst (politician).

Names like Joni

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

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