| Joanna | Naomi | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God is gracious | pleasantness |
| Origin | hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | joh-AN-uh | nay-OH-mee |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1984 (3,332) | 2025 (4,644) |
| In 2025 | 997 | 4,644 |
| Trend | Steady | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Joanna | Naomi |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 6,139 | 26,665 |
| 2010s | 11,409 | 36,194 |
| 2000s | 12,970 | 23,763 |
| 1990s | 16,287 | 12,910 |
| 1980s | 22,216 | 10,864 |
| 1970s | 15,281 | 8,426 |
| 1960s | 9,196 | 6,161 |
| 1950s | 5,151 | 7,495 |
| 1940s | 4,709 | 8,951 |
| 1930s | 3,914 | 13,500 |
| 1920s | 2,233 | 18,184 |
| 1910s | 1,186 | 12,031 |
| 1900s | 391 | 3,700 |
| 1890s | 389 | 2,074 |
| 1880s | 290 | 629 |
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.
From Hebrew No'omi, 'my pleasantness, pleasant' (root n-'-m, 'to be pleasant, agreeable'). In Ruth 1:20 Naomi asks instead to be called Mara, 'bitter' — a deliberate biblical contrast that turns on the name's meaning.
Naomi is more popular than Joanna today: about 4,644 US babies were given the name Naomi in 2025, compared with 997 named Joanna.
Joanna means God is gracious (hebrew origin), while Naomi means pleasantness (hebrew origin).
In US records, Joanna first appears in 1880 and Naomi in 1880, so Joanna has the longer recorded history.