Giovanna
Giovanna was the 878th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 304 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 638th; the most babies were born in 2005 (408). Over the last ten years it has moved down 61 places. More babies were named Giovanna in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning Italian feminine of John; 'YHWH is gracious' · Italian, Hebrew
Say it joh-VAH-nuh /dʒoʊˈvɑnə/
- Rank in 2025
- #878 girls, down 134 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 304girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2005408 babies
- Total since 1880
- 14,135babies recorded
What does the name Giovanna mean?
Giovanna is the Italian feminine form of Giovanni (John), equivalent to English Jane, Joan and Joanna. John comes from Hebrew Yoḥanan, made of a short form of the divine name YHWH and ḥanan 'he has been gracious', so 'YHWH is gracious'. The name spread through Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Apostle. Gianna and Giovannina are Italian pet forms.
יוֹחָנָן (Yoḥanan) (Biblical Hebrew, “YHWH is gracious”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Gianna, Joanna, Jane, Joan, Giovanni.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God, names that mean grace.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Giovanna' (Italian section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'John', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Joan', DMNES (Durham University)
Nicknames for Giovanna
The usual nicknames for Giovanna are Gigi and Gio. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Giovanna in the last five years, 24 were named Gigi, against 7 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gigi · also for Gianna, Georgia, Giselle | Modern | #2,831 | 365 |
| Gio · also for Giovanni | Modern | #10,376 | 38 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Giovannas go by each one.
Giovanna popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #878 | 304 |
| 2020 | #744 | 368 |
| 2010 | #752 | 369 |
| 2000 | #809 | 281 |
| 1990 | #1,101 | 159 |
| 1980 | #1,484 | 81 |
| 1970 | #1,572 | 61 |
| 1960 | #2,397 | 25 |
| 1950 | #3,779 | 9 |
| 1940 | #3,635 | 7 |
| 1930 | #2,595 | 12 |
| 1920 | #2,210 | 17 |
| 1910 | #2,560 | 5 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Giovanna, counting every spelling?
Giovanna is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #843 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #878 for Giovanna on its own. Together these spellings went to 313 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giovanna | 304 | #878 | 1,491 |
| Giovana | 9 | #10,377 | 63 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Giovanna?
304 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Giovanna (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Giovanna born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 28 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Giovanna.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Giovanna?
About 13,400 people born in the US named Giovanna are alive today, with a median age of 21; half are between 11 and 32. That makes Giovanna mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Giovanna by state
How common Giovanna was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Jersey (3.7×), Massachusetts (3.6×), Connecticut (3.4×), New York (2.1×), Pennsylvania (2.0×). In 27 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Giovanna: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Giovanna, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Giovanna · Sibling names for Giovanna
Questions about the name Giovanna
What does Giovanna mean?
Giovanna means “Italian feminine of John; 'YHWH is gracious'” (Italian, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Giovanna?
Giovanna was the 878th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 304 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 638th; the most babies were born in 2005 (408). Over the last ten years it has moved down 61 places. More babies were named Giovanna in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Giovanna a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Giovanna in the US.
Where is Giovanna most popular?
In 2021–2025, Giovanna was most common in New Jersey (0.68 per 1,000 girls), followed by Massachusetts and Connecticut.