Given name & surname
Giannis
“God is gracious”
Giannis is a masculine given name from Greek.
Original GreekΓιαννής
Meaning & origin
What it means
Giannis is a romanization of Γιάννης. Γιάννης goes back to a word meaning “God is gracious.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2014. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Giannis through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,083
- 1,046 boys · 37 girls
- Most popular year
- 2022
- 168 babies
- 2025
- 102
- #1,692 for boys · #15,709 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +86%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 97 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,692 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 85.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 5 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Florida had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (11).
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Giannis’s family of names
In English usage, Giannis shares an earlier linguistic root with John. In German usage, Giannis has a related form in Johannes. In English usage, Giannis shares an earlier linguistic root with IOANNIS.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Giannis has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
7 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 60
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Γιάννηςsource · Greek
- Jackequivalent
- Johndoublet · English
- Ianequivalent
- Giovanniequivalent
- Evanequivalent
- Juanequivalent
- Ivanequivalent
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- Johnnyequivalent
- Seanequivalent
- Johanequivalent
- Joanequivalent
- Jeanequivalent
- Gianequivalent
- Jonequivalent
- Hansequivalent
- Johannequivalent
- Yanisequivalent
- Janequivalent
- Ioannisdoublet · English
- Yanniequivalent
- Yiannisequivalent
- Ionequivalent
- Yannequivalent
- Ivoequivalent
- Ioanequivalent
- Jaanequivalent
- Ieuanequivalent
- Ivanoequivalent
- Hannsequivalent
- Iwanequivalent
- Ionuțequivalent
- Iannisequivalent
- Jóhannequivalent
- Jánosequivalent
- Ioannesequivalent
- Γιάννοςequivalent
- Γιαννάκηςequivalent
- Ifanequivalent
- Jóhanequivalent
- Joãoequivalent
- Xoánequivalent
- Іванequivalent
- Siônequivalent
- Ioannequivalent
- Joannesequivalent
- Ιωάννηςequivalent
- Yannakisequivalent
- Yanissequivalent
- Giuànequivalent
- Jónequivalent
- Seánequivalent
- Иванequivalent
- Γιάνηςequivalent
- Honzaequivalent
- Jóhannesequivalent
- Ιάννηςequivalent
- Jógvanequivalent
- Ἰωάννηςequivalent
- Иоаннequivalent
People named Giannis
- Giannis AntetokounmpoNigerian-Greek basketball player (born 1994)
- Yiannis RitsosGreek poet1909–1990
- Giannis ManiatisGreek footballerborn 1986
- Giannis FetfatzidisGreek footballerborn 1990
- Ioannis AmanatidisGreek executive, coach and retired association football playerborn 1981
- Jannis KounellisGreek painter, sculptor and professor of arts (1936–2017)
- Giannis GoumasGreek footballerborn 1975
- Ioannis OkkasCypriot footballerborn 1977
- Yiannis KourosGreek ultramarathon runner (born 1956)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Giannis, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Arius
“enduring life; everlasting; immortal”
98% boys · 2% girls
Icarus
>99% boys
Osias
“salvation”
>99% boys
Calix
“a handsome man”
>99% boys
Archimedes
“a master of thought”
>99% boys
Neo
“a gift from God” · “brand-new”
>99% boys
Kyros
“a leader or master”
>99% boys
Prometheus
“before” · “to think”
>99% boys