Giana

♀ Girl

Pronounced jee-AH-nuh /dʒiˈɑː.nə/High

Meaning: Italian short form of Giovanna (the Italian feminine form of John/Giovanni), ultimately from Hebrew Yohanan meaning Yahweh is gracious or God has shown favorHigh

In 30 seconds: Giana is a short Italian form of Giovanna, the Italian feminine form of John, meaning God is gracious from Hebrew, and serves as a streamlined alternative to Gianna that has gained popularity in the United States.

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Origin HighItalian, Hebrew

MeaningItalian short form of Giovanna (the Italian feminine form of John/Giovanni), ultimately from Hebrew Yohanan meaning Yahweh is gracious or God has shown favor

U.S. rank (2025)#921 ↘ Falling

2025 U.S. births285 girls (0.02% of U.S. girls)

Peak year2010

Total births (all-time)≈ 10,427

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Giana is a short form of Gianna, itself a diminutive of Giovanna (the Italian feminine form of Giovanni, which is the Italian form of John). The Hebrew origin is Yohanan, composed of Yah (God) and hanan (grace, favor), meaning Yahweh is gracious. The name Giovanna has been used in Italy for centuries and has produced a large family of diminutives including Gianna, Giana, Vanna, and Nanna. Giana uses one n rather than Gianna's double n.

In the United States Giana and Gianna are both in wide use, with Gianna being the more common spelling. Giana (single n) is preferred by some parents for visual simplicity or to avoid the Gianna spelling being associated specifically with the late Gianna Bryant, daughter of basketball player Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in 2020. Both forms benefit from the broader trend toward Italian feminine names in the United States. The name carries warmth, grace, and Italian cultural flair.

Did you know? The family of John-derived names is probably the most reproduced name lineage in all of human history: John, Giovanni, Juan, Jean, Joao, Ian, Ivan, Evan, Eoin, Sean, Hans, Jan, Gianna, Giana, Johanna, Jane, Joan, Jeanne — all of them the same Hebrew name, adapted into dozens of languages.

Overall data confidence 93%

Behind the Name — Gianna — Italian form and Hebrew origin

Variations

GiannaGiovannaGina

Nicknames

GiGiaAna

Famous Bearers

★Giana (fictional, 1987)
The plucky Italian protagonist of The Great Giana Sisters, a 1987 platformer game for Commodore 64 and Amiga that became a cult classic after Nintendo pressured its withdrawal due to its similarity to Super Mario Bros. The character was revived in the critically praised Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams (2012), a crowdfunded comeback that introduced the name to a new generation of gaming audiences worldwide.

If you like Giana…

Gianna— the double-n spelling of the same Italian short form with identical meaning

Giovanna— the full Italian feminine form of which Giana is the contracted short form

Gia— the even shorter Italian form of the same name with comparable Italianate elegance

Brianna— three-syllable -ana ending name with the same flowing, feminine Italian-American appeal

Explore names like Giana

By themehebrew classic italian three-syllable john-family

By meaningGod / Divine Grace

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does Giana mean?

Giana is an Italian short form of Giovanna, meaning God is gracious from Hebrew Yohanan.

How do you pronounce Giana?

It is said jee-AH-nuh — three syllables, stress on the second. The G is pronounced like J.

Is Giana the same as Gianna?

They are the same name with different spellings; Giana uses one n while Gianna uses two.

Is Giana an Italian name?

Yes, Giana is an Italian short form of Giovanna and is widely used in Italy and Italian-American communities.