Joan of Arc

Meanings

1. A brave, visionary, or martial woman.

Etymology

Appellativisation of Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc), the name of a 15th century French folk heroine revered as a martyr. Further etymology The name itself is a calque of French Jeanne d'Arc. According to surviving signatures, her Old French given name was Jehanne, feminine form of Jehan (cognate in English to John). In the English language, her first name has been repeated as Joan since the fifteenth century because that was the only English equivalent for the feminine form of John during her lifetime, Jane not being attested until later. She did not come from a place called Arc; d'Arc was attributed because of her father's surname, which was most likely Darc. Apostrophes were never used in fifteenth-century French surnames, which sometimes leads to confusion when analyzing such names. See Wikipedia (Name of Joan of Arc) for more.