Joan 1

I think Joan is a beautiful name. It is strong, classy, elegant, and it ages with gorgeous grace. I also love the fact that the name is shared with the heroic Joan of Arc. Overall, I think Joan is a wonderful name.

I was born in 1948 and was named Joan after the famous actress Joan Crawford. I have never liked my name. I am the oldest of three children and being the responsible child was definitely instilled in me at an early age. The name Joan has always sounded serious to me and has been a reminder to me that I have to be responsible. I remember when I was a child I went through a phase when I wanted to be named Wendy. That may have come from my interest in Peter Pan and the child Wendy who became his friend and part of his adventures. The name Wendy always seemed more carefree and happy to me than the name Joan. As an adult, I still dislike my name because it is old-fashioned and very few women have this name except those who are now old. At times throughout my life I've thought about changing my name, but I think that it might show dishonor to my parents who gave me life and who chose the name Joan for me.

I think that this name sounds very strong! I love the name Joan and find it very gorgeous.

I didn't used to like this name because I thought it sounded old and frumpy. Then I discovered Joan As Police Woman and my view has completely changed, now it feels strong and vintage.

The Joan of Arc association makes this name infinitely more appealing to me.

Joan is totally chic.

I don't dislike this name, but have some difficulty with it, because it sounds too close to John. If I had a daughter named Joan and a son named John, I'd be confused. I love the French version, Jeanne, which is how St. Joan of Arc is called in her native country. Instead of Joan, I'd choose Joanna.

We just named our daughter Joan Rita, after my grandmother who was born in the 40s. We all call her Joanie. Honestly we chose it BECAUSE I never met a little girl with the name, only much older women. I hope the popularity stays down so DD can go by it. As a Katlyn, I'm always one of many and forced to go by my surname in workplaces.

Joan of Arc makes this such a cool name. I wish the associations weren't so negative and outdated. Maybe one day it'll make a comeback. Sounds a bit odd on a young child but I think it's quite charming on a teen or grown woman. Joan Jett is another example of a cool bearer.

It's not really a bad name. The truth is that I am Spanish and in Catalan Joan is a fairly common boy's name, which is like John's version. I have had several teachers named like that, so I see it as too masculine a name to give to a girl, no offense. Maybe Joanne or Joanna, but Joan just doesn't appeal to me. Anyway, it is just a mere opinion.

Good name. Classic, quality, simple and feminine. Joan is good name, not much popularity in these days, so became quite rare. Nice name!

No thanks Joan, GO AWAY! This hurts my eyes, unattractive, outdated and I just don't like it.

This is a simple but nice, solid name for a woman. It makes me think of Joan Jett which is a positive association to me. :)

This would make a nice middle name.

I don't like it, but that might have something to do with the fact that I had a Grandmother called Joan that was horrible and didn't love me at all.

It sounds better when it’s pronounced like Joanne.

It is masculine. Jeanne is the real name of Joan of Arc. She might have used this one when she pretended that she was male.

In regards to masculine use in other languages, the pronunciation is different. No one would reasonably think that someone named Joan - one syllable, with a long O sound - is a man. Especially not if she also went by Joanie / Joni.

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That aside, Joan was one of the most common English feminine names in the Middle Ages (with French counterpart Jeanne commonly used in France, as well). Joan is a true classic that somehow fell out of use, its popularity dipping severely in the 70s. (Jane has endured for longer in the U.S., but never spiked in popularity like Joan did.) The falling to the wayside bit is strange, because Joan really is a cool name, and I like Joanie. However, while I vacillate between preferring Jane or Joan, I find I prefer Joanna to both.

I don’t get why I don’t see more young girls named Joan, it’s a very pretty name! The nickname Joanie is nice too.

In my opinion, this name is a bit dated like Nancy or Pamela. I do still marvel at its inherent strength and regality, thanks to Joan of Arc.

It’s weird how nobody notices it’s exclusively masculine in other territories. I really don’t like this name for a boy though! I only love it as a girl’s name and it’s beautiful for that gender! Joan is a beautiful and classy name and it will age well on girls. There are a lot of classy names I love and Joan is one of them. Of course people are going to get the idea that this name is kind of overused!

My grandmother’s name is Joan, and I honestly really like it. Coming from someone named Olivia, names that are not used so often like Joan are refreshing. There is also Joan of Arc who was a strong, brave leader. Most of the nicknames for Joan are really cute.

I love the name Joan I think it is a strong beautiful name. A more feminine alternative is Joana or Joanna, both of which I like as well. (Anna from Once Upon a Time made me fall in love with Joan).

I find it funny how many people mention Jehanne here and apparently like this name because of her. It's not like her actual name was Joan. This name doesn't really have anything to do with her. It is just an English translation of the name she happened to have. Not only that, but this translation is not even that accurate. Jane would have been a much better one.

The name is good, but the O and then the A kinda makes a weird sound.

This name sounds harsh and masculine. I don't like it.

I really like this name. It is classic and strong. It isn't really popular right now, which makes it unique even though it is a fairly simple name. I would highly consider this name for a daughter (except I have a friend with this name and can't break the association).

My name is Joan. Yes, this is a teenager commenting. Joan isn't that bad at all. From my life experiences, I did get some teasing but I didn't really care. What bothers me the most is how people think this name is ugly. It isn't. It's quite elegant and mature actually. It's different from those girly names, which are often modern nowadays. I usually use all the other famous people with the same name as an inspiration. Joan of Arc being brave, Joan Jett as a singer and Joan Rivers as a comedian. I must admit though they all fit into my personality equally. Living with the name is awesome, unique.

I like this name. I think it is simple and sweet.

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Joan is also the name of one of the main characters in Mona Lisa Smile.

This is my mother's name; if I have a girl of my own one day, I'm naming her Joan. It's short, simple, and nice. :)

I probably wouldn't like this name if not for the saint; it's very austere. My love for her makes me like this name, although if I ever had a child and wanted to name it for her, I would go with Jeanne instead.

My name is Giovanna, which is another feminine version of John. I go by Gianna, but if I had to go by a more Anglicized version, I think that Joan would be nice. It's close to my real name, sweet sounding and not too common.

I like this name because of Joan of Arc, but it also makes me think of mean women. In particular, I think of Joan Crawford, who treated her children pretty badly.

This name can be both sexy (Joan Crawford) and boring. Joanie is a cute nick name, but too often people rhyme the name Joan with bone.

It sounds like a boys name, I never really liked it for a girl or a boy though. To gruff, and stiff, someone who can't laugh. I have always admired Joan of Ark though.

For some reason, this name makes me think of mean, arrogant women, and regardless of their age, they're always brunettes in my imagination. I'm not sure if Mommie Dearest has given me this sort of association, but that's the type of image that pops into my head. The name isn't ugly or anything, but it is quite dull.

My name is Joan and I love it! I just hate that people are constantly calling me Joann, you would think a name that is so old and well-known that people would know how to pronounce it.

My confirmation name. Since I'm English, and Joan of Arc is my favorite saint, I took the English form of Jeanne d'Arc.

I love this name. I plan on naming my daughter this if I ever have one. I have always admired Saint Joan of Arc and I find it a very beautiful name. It's also short so if I marry someone with a long last name it won't be an issue.

My middle name is Joan. I think it is an extremely pretty name. Middle or first.

My grandparents think Joan is pronounced Jo-ann. I say if it's pronounced that way, it's Joanne/Jo-Ann, etc.

I've grown to like the name, but it took about 30 years. I think I've grown into it. It was a name that was very popular when my mother was a teenager, and not very popular at all when I was growing up.

I like this name, Joan. It sounds short and to the point.

Personally, I don't think this name is very pretty. Its Gaelic and Welsh incarnates "Siobhán" (Gaelic) and "Siwan" (Welsh) are beautiful to me!