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