joan

Meanings

1. Alternative spelling of jone.

1. A female given name from French, a feminine form of John.
2. A male given name from Catalan, a form of John.

1. A placeholder or conventional name for any woman, particularly a younger lower-class woman.
2. A kind of close-fitting cap for women popular in the mid-18th century.

Etymology

A clipped or hypochoristic form of Joanna, from Latin Joanna, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννα (Iōánna), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָה (Yôḥānāh, literally “God is gracious”), the feminized form of יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān) which produced John and its many doublets. As a placeholder name, cf. similar use of John and Jack. Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena.