| Joanna | Josie | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God is gracious | God shall add |
| Origin | hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | joh-AN-uh | JOH-zee |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1984 (3,332) | 2025 (3,021) |
| In 2025 | 997 | 3,021 |
| Trend | Steady | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Joanna | Josie |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 6,139 | 14,981 |
| 2010s | 11,409 | 13,927 |
| 2000s | 12,970 | 10,634 |
| 1990s | 16,287 | 6,039 |
| 1980s | 22,216 | 2,545 |
| 1970s | 15,281 | 2,123 |
| 1960s | 9,196 | 2,060 |
| 1950s | 5,151 | 2,427 |
| 1940s | 4,709 | 3,374 |
| 1930s | 3,914 | 3,464 |
| 1920s | 2,233 | 4,095 |
| 1910s | 1,186 | 3,370 |
| 1900s | 391 | 2,118 |
| 1890s | 389 | 2,329 |
| 1880s | 290 | 1,884 |
From Greek Ioanna, the feminine of Ioannes (John), ultimately from Hebrew 'Yochanan' meaning 'Yahweh is gracious.' A New Testament name and a John-root grace name.
Josie is a pet form of Josephine, from the Hebrew, “God shall add.”
Josie is more popular than Joanna today: about 3,021 US babies were given the name Josie in 2025, compared with 997 named Joanna.
Joanna means God is gracious (hebrew origin), while Josie means God shall add (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Joanna first appears in 1880 and Josie in 1880, so Joanna has the longer recorded history.