Meaning & History
Diminutive of Josephine, Joseph, Joanna and other names beginning with Jo. It was popularized by the young hero (a boy) in Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' novel The Yearling (1938) and the subsequent film adaptation (1946). As a feminine name, it probably received an assist from the similar-sounding name Judy, which was at the height of its American popularity when Jody was rising.
Related Names
Feminine FormJosepha
Other Languages & CulturesShavon, Shavonne(African American) Jozef, Zef(Albanian) Yousef, Youssef, Yusef, Yusuf(Arabic) Youcef(Arabic (Maghrebi)) Hovsep(Armenian) Yusif(Azerbaijani) Jone, Joseba(Basque) Zhanna(Belarusian) Yusuf(Bengali) Joanna, Joseph, Joses(Biblical) Ioanna, Ioseph, Ioses(Biblical Greek) Yosef(Biblical Hebrew) Iohanna, Ioseph(Biblical Latin) Jusuf(Bosnian) Yanna, Yanick, Yannic, Yannick, Yannig(Breton) Ioana, Ivana, Yana, Yanka, Yoana, Yosif(Bulgarian) Joana, Josep, Josepa(Catalan) Ghjaseppu, Ghjuvanna(Corsican) Ivana, Josip, Josipa, Jozefina, Finka, Joško, Joso, Jozo, Žana(Croatian) Ivana, Jana, Johana, Josef, Josefína, Johanka(Czech) Johanna, Johanne, Josef, Josefine, Hanna, Hanne, Janne, Jonna(Danish) Jana, Janna, Johanna, Josefien, Josephine, Jozef, Fieke, Fien, Fiene, Hanke, Hanna, Hanne, Hannie, Jef, Jennigje, Joep, Johanneke, Joop, Joos, Joost, Jos, Josephus, Jozefien, Pien, Sjef(Dutch) Jozefo, Joĉjo(Esperanto) Jaana, Jana, Janika, Johanna, Joosep, Janne(Estonian) Jóna, Jósef(Faroese) Jose(Filipino) Janika, Janina, Johanna, Jooseppi, Josefiina, Hanna, Hannele, Iina, Janna, Jonna, Juuso(Finnish) Jeanne, Johanne, Josée, Joseph, Josèphe, Joséphine, Fifi, Joanne, José, Josette, Josiane, Josianne, Yanick, Yannick(French) Xoana, Xosé(Galician) Ioseb, Soso(Georgian) Jana, Janina, Johanna, Josef, Josefine, Josephine, Hanna, Hanne, Jo, Joschka, Joseph, Jupp, Sepp, Seppel(German) Gianna, Ioanna, Iosif, Yanna, Yianna, Nana(Greek) Yosef(Hebrew) Josephus(History) Johanna, Jozefa, József, Hanna, Jóska, Józsi(Hungarian) Jóhanna, Jóna, Jósef(Icelandic) Jusuf, Yusuf(Indonesian) Seosamh, Síne, Siobhán(Irish) Giovanna, Giuseppa, Giuseppe, Ivana, Beppe, Gia, Gianna, Giannina, Giò, Giosetta, Giovannetta, Giusi, Nina, Peppe, Peppi, Peppino, Pino, Pippo, Vanna(Italian) Iosephus, Johanna(Late Roman) Jana, Janīna, Jāzeps, Žanna(Latvian) Janina, Juozapas, Juozas(Lithuanian) Ivana, Josif, Jovana(Macedonian) Yusof(Malay) Hohepa(Maori) Jehanne, Johanne(Medieval French) Johanna, Johanne, Josef, Josefine, Hanna, Hanne, Janne, Jannicke, Jannike(Norwegian) Josèp(Occitan) Yusuf(Pashto) Yousef, Yusef(Persian) Janina, Joanna, Józef, Józefa, Józefina, Asia, Joasia(Polish) Joana, José, Josefa, Josefina, Joaninha, Zé, Zezé(Portuguese) Geovana, Giovana(Portuguese (Brazilian)) Ioana, Iosif(Romanian) Iosif, Yana, Zhanna, Osip(Russian) Giuanna(Sardinian) Jean, Seona, Sheena, Sheona, Shona(Scottish) Seonag, Sìne, Seòsaidh(Scottish Gaelic) Ivana, Josif, Jovana(Serbian) Ivana, Jana, Jozef, Jozefína(Slovak) Ivana, Jana, Josip, Jožef, Jožefa, Jože, Žana(Slovene) Yuusuf(Somali) Jose, José, Josefa, Josefina, Juana, Josepe, Juanita, Pepe, Pepito(Spanish) Giovana, Johana(Spanish (Latin American)) Janina, Janna, Johanna, Josef, Josefin, Josefina, Josefine, Hanna, Jonna(Swedish) Yusuf(Tajik) Yosif(Tatar) Yusuf(Turkish) Ýusup(Turkmen) Ivanna, Yana, Yosyp, Zhanna(Ukrainian) Yousaf(Urdu) Yusup(Uyghur) Yusuf(Uzbek) Djene(Walloon) Shan, Siân, Siwan(Welsh) Issouf, Issoufou(Western African)