Giovanni
Giovanni was the 123rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 2,939 babies. Its best year was 2010, when it ranked 117th with 3,434 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 7 places. More babies were named Giovanni in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning God is gracious (Italian form of John) · Italian, Hebrew
Say it joh-VAH-nee /dʒoʊˈvɑni/
- Rank in 2025
- #123 boys, down 3 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,939boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20103,434 babies
- Total since 1880
- 90,351babies recorded
What does the name Giovanni mean?
Giovanni is the Italian form of John. It comes from Latin Iohannes, Greek Ioannes, and Hebrew Yochanan, which DMNES glosses 'graced by God' and which is usually read as 'God has been gracious'. Its importance in Italy comes from John the Baptist and John the Apostle, and later from many popes and saints. Gianni and Gian are common short forms, Giovanna is the feminine, and Gianna is a modern feminine short form.
Iohannes (Latin, “John”)יוֹחָנָן (Biblical Hebrew, “Yochanan, God has been gracious”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: John, Gianni, Gian, Giovanna, Gianna, Juan, Ivan.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God, names that mean grace.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Giovanni', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'John', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wikipedia, 'Giovanni (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Giovanni
The usual nicknames for Giovanni are Gio and Gianni. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Giovanni in the last five years, 24 were named Gianni, against 14 twenty years earlier.
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Giovannis go by each one.
Giovanni popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 983 since 1971, 16 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #123 | 2,939 |
| 2020 | #120 | 3,058 |
| 2010 | #117 | 3,434 |
| 2000 | #201 | 1,757 |
| 1990 | #328 | 755 |
| 1980 | #612 | 205 |
| 1970 | #813 | 99 |
| 1960 | #1,637 | 25 |
| 1950 | #2,651 | 9 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | #2,507 | 11 |
| 1920 | #1,782 | 20 |
| 1910 | #1,686 | 5 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Giovanni, counting every spelling?
Giovanni is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #121 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #123 for Giovanni on its own. Together these spellings went to 3,192 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giovanni | 2,939 | #123 | 14,821 |
| Giovani | 148 | #1,312 | 736 |
| Giovanny | 78 | #1,964 | 413 |
| Giovany | 17 | #5,463 | 67 |
| Giovannie | 10 | #7,848 | 54 |
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 Giovanni?
2,939 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Giovanni (0.81 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Giovanni 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 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Giovanni.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Giovanni?
About 87,400 people born in the US named Giovanni are alive today, with a median age of 15; half are between 8 and 23. That makes Giovanni 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.
Giovanni by state
How common Giovanni was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Rhode Island (2.8×), New Mexico (2.4×), Delaware (2.1×), Arizona (2.0×), Nevada (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in North Dakota, West Virginia, District of Columbia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Giovanni: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Giovanni, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Giovanni · Sibling names for Giovanni
Questions about the name Giovanni
What does Giovanni mean?
Giovanni means “God is gracious (Italian form of John)” (Italian, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Giovanni?
Giovanni was the 123rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 2,939 babies. Its best year was 2010, when it ranked 117th with 3,434 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 7 places. More babies were named Giovanni in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Giovanni a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Giovanni in the US.
Where is Giovanni most popular?
In 2021–2025, Giovanni was most common in Rhode Island (4.78 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Mexico and Delaware.