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Joan

Pronunciation: JOHN (key)

Origin of the name Joan:

Contracted form of the French Johanne, which is a feminine form of John (God is gracious). The name's most famous bearer is perhaps Joan of Ark (1412 - 31), the young French saint and heroine claimed to be a soldier of God. Under her leadership, the French Army defeated the English at Orleans in 1429. She was eventually captured and sold to the English who burned her at the stake for witchcraft in 1431. She was canonized in 1920.

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Reader Contributions

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Comments and insights on the name Joan: | Edit
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Personal experiences with the name Joan: | Edit

My cousin named Joan is in her late 30s but goes by Joanne because she thinks Joan sounds too old lady-ish.

Nicknames for Joan: | Edit

Joanie, Jo

Meanings and history of the name Joan: | Edit

Feminine form of John

Famous real-life people named Joan: | Edit

Joan of Arc, 15th-century military leader (Fr. Jeanne d'Arc)
Joan Armatrading, British singer
Joan Baez, American singer
Joan Collins, English actress
Joan Crawford, American actress
Joan Fontaine, British-American actress
Joan Cusack, American actress
Joan Allen, American actress
Joan Rice, British actress
Joan Plowright, English actress
Joan Van Ark, American actress
Joan Severance, American actress
Joan Osborne, American blues singer
Joan Jett, American rock/punk singer
Joan Sutherland, American opera singer
Joan Bakewell, English journalist and TV presenter
Joni Mitchell (born Roberta Joan Anderson), Canadian folk singer
Joan Rivers, American actress/comedienne

Joan in song, story & screen: | Edit

Joan Holloway, office manager in the AMC series "Mad Men"
Joan of Arcadia, US TV series
"Pope Joan" movie based on the legend of the rumoured female pope

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