Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Giovanna

Giovanna is the female form of Giovanni which are the Italian equivalents to the English John (or Joanne). All of the John names can find their original root in the Hebrew Yochanan meaning “Yahweh (God) is gracious, generous” (Latin: Iohannes). Although the name appears briefly in the Old Testament (as one of King David’s mighty men), as a name, John owes most of his enduring popularity to two prominent New Testament figures: John the Baptist and John the Apostle. John the Baptist (like Jesus) was born under miraculous circumstances. The angel Gabriel appeared to his father (Zechariah) claiming that God will give his barren wife (Elizabeth) a son (John) to help prepare the way for the Messiah (Jesus). John the Baptist had the distinction of baptizing Jesus himself in the River Jordan. John the Apostle was a fisherman, the brother of James, and a follower of Christ. He is most known as one of the authors of the four gospels of the New Testament. John’s gospel focuses on Jesus as the “Eternal One of from heaven” and is considerably more theological and philosophical than the other three gospels. As a name of great importance among early Christians, John has spawned countless variations in different languages which were also feminized for baby girls. Giovanna is the Italian female form of John. It has recently been adopted among English speakers to a greater extent; although, unlike the classic three-syllable pronunciation used by the Italians (jo-VAHN-nah), English speakers tend to use the four-syllable GEE-oh-vahn-nah.

All About the Baby Name – Giovanna

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME GIOVANNA

The number 11 is a Master Number, and embodies heightened traits of the Two. This personality is on a life journey to find spiritual truth. They are extremely idealistic and intuitive. Elevens have a rare and exceptional spiritual energy that brings a sense of obligation to illuminate the world around them. It's a very powerful responsibility, but these people have far more potential than they know. It's important that they surrender to higher ideals. They have the capacity to see the bigger picture, and they possess the skills to inspire others spiritually. Elevens have strong diplomatic skills and can become great peacemakers. Master numbers can be both a blessing and a curse, as they walk the fine line between greatness and the potential for self-destruction.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME GIOVANNA

American parents are showing increased interest in Italian names. Our charts are peppered with them (Lucia, Giuliana, Gia, Giana, Giada, etc). Giovanna first appeared on the charts in 1991 and has managed to stick for over 20 years now. Although Giovanna is not a common name among Americans by any means, she remains a lovely choice in our melting-pot of monikers. It’s one of those names that sounds so ethnically Italian and yet enjoys a fair amount of cross-over appeal. Even if you’re not Italian-American, we can certainly understand how you’d be drawn to this gorgeous, classic name. Gio, Gia, Gianna and Vanna are all potential short forms. But Giovanna should be celebrated in her full formation – she’s just too pretty to be truncated!

Quick Facts

ON GIOVANNA

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

Italian

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

3

RANKING POPULARITY:

962

PRONUNCIATION:

jo-VAHN-nah

SIMPLE MEANING:

God is gracious, God is generous

Characteristics

OF GIOVANNA

Inspirational

Highly Intuitive

Spiritual Teacher

Extremely Bright

Uplifting

Truth-seeker

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Giovanna

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME GIOVANNA

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Giovanna

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME GIOVANNA

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Giovanna


Popular Songs

ON GIOVANNA

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Giovanna


Famous People

NAMED GIOVANNA

We cannot find any celebrities or significantly famous people with the first name Giovanna.

Children of Famous People

NAMED GIOVANNA

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Giovanna

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME GIOVANNA

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Giovanna