Is Johanna a biblical name?

Johanna is a biblically rooted name. While it does not appear in Scripture in this exact form, it comes directly from a biblical name or phrase. Johanna has been used across Scandinavia and Germany for centuries and has grown steadily familiar in English-speaking countries, valued for its warm sound and clear meaning.

Girl · Hebrew · New Testament · Biblically inspired

Johanna

yoh-HAH-nuh · means “The Lord is gracious”

Johanna is a feminine form related to both John and Joanna, meaning "the Lord is gracious." It is closely tied to Joanna in Luke's Gospel, one of the women who supported Jesus's ministry and later carried the news of His resurrection.

Faith Grace Devotion

“It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and others with them who told this to the apostles.”
— Luke 24:10 (NIV)

The story behind the name

Johanna has been used across Scandinavia and Germany for centuries and has grown steadily familiar in English-speaking countries, valued for its warm sound and clear meaning.

Joanna was the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod's household, and Luke names her among the women who "were helping to support them out of their own means" as they traveled with Jesus (Luke 8:1-3). It was an unusual, costly kind of devotion for a woman of her position.

Joanna was also among the women who went to Jesus's tomb early that first morning and found it empty, then ran to tell the apostles what they had seen (Luke 24:10). A daughter named Johanna carries a name built on grace received and grace given away, generous and first to share good news.