Given name & surname
Giovanni
“God is gracious”
Giovanni is a variant of Giovanna. In Italian use, Giovanna carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Original ItalianGianni
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Italian use, Giovanni carries the interpretation “God is gracious.” Giovanni is a variant of Giovanna. In Italian use, Giovanna carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Italian.
How it developed
Giovanni is used as a form of John. In Italian use, Giovanni shares an earlier linguistic root with John. The shared background comes through John: Greek Iōannēs represents a contracted form of Johanan; Latin used Johannes, and English developed John. The different language forms preserve the name family without all sharing the same spelling or pronunciation.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1907. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In Italian use, Giovanni shares an earlier linguistic root with John. The history of John gives this family its wider story. John the Baptist is associated with baptism in the River Jordan, while John the Apostle is the fisherman and brother of James. Later saints, popes and rulers extended the name’s reach. Christian tradition also identifies the apostle with John the Evangelist, although that identification is debated.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Giovanni through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 90,351
- 89,368 boys · 983 girls
- Most popular year
- 2010
- 3,445 babies
- 2025
- 2,955
- #123 for boys · #6,937 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +4%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 2,939 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 123 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 4.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 3,434 in 2010. It also appeared in 16 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (452). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 66,480 as a first name in 2020; 770 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Giovanni’s family of names
In Italian usage, Giovanni has a diminutive in Gianni. Giovanni shares a linguistic root with John. In Italian usage, Giovanni has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Juan.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Giovanni has relatives in 15 languages. Lines run from its Italian roots to each of them.
Italianwhere Giovanni comes from · 16 names
Nicknames & forms 33
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Giannipet form · Italian
- Gianshort form · Italian
- Giodiminutive · Italian, English
- Gianlucashort form · Italian
- Ninoshort form · Italian, French
- Gianmarcoshort form · Italian
- Papaiannivariant · Italian
- Gian Marcoshort form · Italian
Show 25 moreShow fewer
- Giovanninidiminutive · Italian, French
- Giannellipet form · Italian
- Gianninipet form · Italian
- Gianmariashort form · Italian
- Nannidiminutive · Italian
- Giovannavariant
- Giovanivariant · English
- Giovannyvariant
- Geovannivariant
- Johannesvariant · German
- Giovonnivariant
- Geovannyvariant
- Geovanyvariant
- Geovanivariant
- Giovanvariant
- Giovvannilikely variant
- Giovannnilikely variant
- Geovanevariant · Portuguese
- Banbandiminutive · ceb
- Baningdiminutive · ceb
- Giovellvariant
- Giovelvariant
- Giovannovariant
- Gianninovariant
- Geovanneyvariant
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 82
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Johndoublet · Italian, English
- Giovanniellopatronymic from · Italian
- Giovannettipatronymic from · Italian
- Jackequivalent
- Ianequivalent
- Evandoublet · English
- JuanSpanish
- Ivandoublet · Tagalog, English
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- Johnnyequivalent
- Seandoublet · English
- Johanequivalent
- Shanedoublet · English
- Joanequivalent
- Shawndoublet · English
- Jeandoublet · French, English
- Jonequivalent
- Jovanniderivative · English
- Hansequivalent
- Joaoequivalent
- Giannisequivalent
- Johannequivalent
- Shaundoublet · English
- JanPolish, Czech
- Yannisequivalent
- Ioannisequivalent
- Yanniequivalent
- Yiannisequivalent
- Giovanyequivalent
- Ionequivalent
- Yannequivalent
- Ivoequivalent
- Yvanequivalent
- Jehanequivalent
- Yohananequivalent
- Ioanequivalent
- Yovannyrelated form
- Yohannanequivalent
- Jaanequivalent
- GjonAlbanian
- Ieuanequivalent
- Ivanoequivalent
- Hannsequivalent
- Hannesequivalent
- Iwanequivalent
- Ivánequivalent
- ジョンJapanese
- Ջիվանborrowing · Armenian
- ΓιάννηςGreek
- Yankaequivalent
- یوحناequivalent
- Jóhannequivalent
- Jánosequivalent
- Ioannesequivalent
- Ifanequivalent
- Jóhanequivalent
- Joãoequivalent
- Erwannequivalent
- Xoánequivalent
- Giuvanniequivalent
- Іванequivalent
And 22 more.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Giovanni
- Giovanni BoccaccioItalian author and poet (1313–1375)
- Giovanni Pierluigi da PalestrinaItalian Renaissance composer (c. 1525–1594)
- John BoscoItalian Roman Catholic priest, educator, writer (1815–1888)
- Pope Clement XIVpope of the Catholic Church from 1769 to 17741705–1774
- Giovanni Domenico CassiniItalian/French mathematician, astronomer, engineer, and astrologer (*1625 – †1712)
- Giovanni Pico della MirandolaItalian Renaissance philosopher (1463–1494)
- Giovanni Bellini15th- and 16th-century Italian Renaissance painter (1430–1516)
- CanalettoItalian painter of landscapes (1697–1768)
- John CabotItalian navigator and explorer (c. 1450 – c. 1499)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Giovanni, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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