| Joan | Jane | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God is gracious | God is gracious |
| Origin | english | english |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | JOHN | JAYN |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1932 (21,044) | 1947 (9,943) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 1,380 |
| Trend | Vintage | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Joan | Jane |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,031 | 7,112 |
| 2010s | 941 | 10,278 |
| 2000s | 1,003 | 7,123 |
| 1990s | 1,858 | 6,691 |
| 1980s | 3,300 | 7,439 |
| 1970s | 6,480 | 9,483 |
| 1960s | 36,676 | 43,340 |
| 1950s | 85,179 | 82,919 |
| 1940s | 117,708 | 72,537 |
| 1930s | 173,439 | 45,814 |
| 1920s | 45,351 | 48,049 |
| 1910s | 7,021 | 27,740 |
| 1900s | 863 | 4,498 |
| 1890s | 267 | 3,882 |
| 1880s | 121 | 2,971 |
A medieval English feminine of John, from Old French Johanne, ultimately from Hebrew 'Yochanan' ('Yahweh is gracious'). Like Jane, it descends from John rather than from Hannah.
The common English feminine of John, from Old French Jehanne, ultimately from Hebrew 'Yochanan' meaning 'Yahweh is gracious.' A John-root grace name, distinct from the Hannah-root names.
Jane is more popular than Joan today: about 1,380 US babies were given the name Jane in 2025, compared with 0 named Joan.
Joan means God is gracious (english origin), while Jane means God is gracious (english origin).
In US records, Joan first appears in 0 and Jane in 1880, so Joan has the longer recorded history.