Names that mean grace
Grace and favor names come in two kinds. Some are the English word itself, used as a virtue name since the Puritans (Grace, Mercy). Many more come from the Hebrew root hanan, "to be gracious", behind Hannah, Anna and the whole family of John, Jane, Joanna and Gianna.
Girl names (40)
| Name | Meaning | Origin | Rank 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gianna | feminine of Gianni (John) | Hebrew | #33 |
| Mila | dear, gracious (Slavic mil-) | Slavic | #43 |
| Grace | grace (virtue name) | English | #38 |
| Hannah | grace, favor | Hebrew | #56 |
| Anna | grace, favor | Hebrew | #107 |
| Annie | grace (pet form of Ann) | Hebrew | #182 |
| Gracie | grace (pet form of Grace) | English | #227 |
| Jane | God is gracious (feminine of John) | Hebrew | #221 |
| Joanna | God is gracious | Hebrew | #306 |
| Gracelynn | Grace + Lynn | American | #442 |
| Anya | pet form of Anna ('grace') | Hebrew | #375 |
| Clementine | merciful (feminine of Clement) | Latin | #456 |
| Ivanna | God is gracious (Ukrainian feminine of Ivan) | Hebrew | #567 |
| Anne | grace, favor (from Hannah) | Hebrew | #619 |
| Janelle | Jane + -elle (God is gracious) | Hebrew | #801 |
| Chana | grace, favor (Hebrew Hannah) | Hebrew | #686 |
| Mercy | mercy, compassion | English | #867 |
| Johanna | God is gracious (feminine of John) | Hebrew | #871 |
| Anika | pet form of Anna (Annika) | Hebrew | #955 |
| Giovanna | Italian feminine of John; 'YHWH is gracious' | Hebrew | #878 |
| Jianna | variant of Gianna | Hebrew | #973 |
| Nancy | pet form of Ann (or Agnes) | Hebrew | #967 |
| Jana | form of Jane/Joanna; "God is gracious" | Hebrew | #1,247 |
| Mercedes | "mercies" (Our Lady of Mercy) | Spanish | #1,439 |
| Annette | little Anne | Hebrew | #1,443 |
| Anita | pet form of Ana (Anne) | Hebrew | #1,342 |
| Janie | pet form of Jane; "God is gracious" | Hebrew | #1,329 |
| Joni | pet form of Joan | Hebrew | #1,803 |
| Janet | pet form of Jane | Hebrew | #2,791 |
| Janice | variant of Jane | Hebrew | #2,522 |
| Joanne | from Joanna, or Jo + Anne | Hebrew | #2,630 |
| Juanita | pet form of Juana (Joan) | Hebrew | #2,794 |
| Jeanette | little Jean (Jane) | Hebrew | #2,391 |
| Jeanne | French feminine of John | Hebrew | #4,601 |
| Shana | Hebrew | #5,213 | |
| Janine | from Jeanne (Jane); "God is gracious" | Hebrew | #5,805 |
| Jeannie | pet form of Jean; "God is gracious" | Hebrew | #6,966 |
| Shawna | feminine of Shawn (John); "God is gracious" | Hebrew | #10,789 |
| Jeannine | from Jeanne; "God is gracious" | Hebrew | #10,458 |
| Nannie | pet form of Ann | Hebrew | — |
Boy names (17)
| Name | Meaning | Origin | Rank 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| John | 'God is gracious' (Hebrew Yohanan) | Hebrew | #23 |
| Ian | God is gracious (Scottish form of John) | Hebrew | #83 |
| Giovanni | God is gracious (Italian form of John) | Hebrew | #123 |
| Evan | God is gracious (Welsh form of John) | Hebrew | #153 |
| Juan | God is gracious (Spanish form of John) | Hebrew | #159 |
| Ivan | God is gracious (Slavic form of John) | Hebrew | #163 |
| Zayn | beauty, grace | Arabic | #253 |
| Gianni | short form of Giovanni (John) | Hebrew | #524 |
| Sean | God is gracious (Irish form of John) | Hebrew | #489 |
| Johnny | pet form of John ('God is gracious') | Hebrew | #458 |
| Shane | God is gracious (Irish form of John) | Hebrew | #636 |
| Johan | God is gracious (Scandinavian/Dutch John) | Hebrew | #572 |
| Joan | feminine of John; 'YHWH is gracious' | Hebrew | #987 |
| Gian | short form of Giovanni (John) | Hebrew | #956 |
| Jean | French feminine form of John (Jeanne) | Hebrew | #1,172 |
| Johnnie | pet form of John | Hebrew | #2,295 |
| Jan | short form of Janet/Janice; or a form of John | Hebrew | #2,731 |
How names get on this list
Our editors read each name's documented etymology and tag a theme only when the roots of the name carry that meaning. Popular explanations without support (folk etymologies) don't count, and names whose origin is uncertain are left out unless every explanation agrees. The list covers the roughly 2,000 most used names we have researched so far, ordered by the number of US babies in the last five years. How we research meanings.