Given name
Josanna
“God will add”
Josanna is a variant of Jo. In English use, Jo carries the interpretation “God will add.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Josanna is a variant of Jo. In English use, Jo carries the interpretation “God will add.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1956. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Josanna through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 110
- 0 boys · 110 girls
- Most popular year
- 1982
- 9 babies
- 2025
- 6
- #13,978 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 6 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 13,978 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 9 in 1982. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 207 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Josanna, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Johanna
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Jacinta
“resembling a hyacinth” · “resembling the hyacinth”
>99% girls
Rosanna
“resembling the graceful rose”
>99% girls
Janna
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Justina
“one who is just and upright”
>99% girls
Joanna
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Roxana
“born with the morning's first light”
>99% girls
Jamilah
“a beautiful and elegant lady”
>99% girls