Home › Baby Names Directory › Joanette

Joanette

♀ Girl

Pronounced joh-uh-NET /ˌdʒoʊ.əˈnɛt/Medium

Meaning: Joanette dresses Joan, the medieval feminine of John, in the French diminutive -ette, giving a 'little Joan'. Joan descends from John, from the Hebrew Yochanan, 'God is gracious', which is the meaning the little form inherits.Low

In 30 seconds: Joanette adds a French -ette to Joan, 'God is gracious', for a 'little Joan'. It appears for American girls from the mid nineteen-thirties (said joh-uh-NET).

💕 Browse more names

Origin LowEnglish, Hebrew

MeaningJoanette dresses Joan, the medieval feminine of John, in the French diminutive -ette, giving a 'little Joan'. Joan descends from John, from the Hebrew Yochanan, 'God is gracious', which is the meaning the little form inherits.

U.S. rank (1986)#11687 ↘ Falling

1986 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1961

Total births (all-time)≈ 367

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

Joanette takes Joan, the medieval feminine of John, and adds the French diminutive -ette, 'little Joan'. Through Joan and John it reaches back to Hebrew Yochanan, 'God is gracious'. Part of the mid-century vogue for -ette names, it appears in United States records from the mid nineteen-thirties and peaked in the early nineteen-sixties.

It was always rare, given to only a couple dozen girls a year at its high, so a Joanette from that time would be in her sixties now. The frilly -ette ending places it firmly in its era, and it has not revived, though Joan endures as a classic.

Did you know? Joanette rides the nineteen-thirties and forties fashion for tacking a dainty -ette onto familiar names, the same impulse that gave us Jeanette, Nanette, and Paulette.

Overall data confidence 45%

References - Joanette — Diminutive of Joan (feminine of John, 'God is gracious') + French -ette

Variations

JoanJeanetteJoanettaJoanne

Nicknames

JoanJoNettie

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Joanette…

Joan— the parent name it fondly shrinks

Joanne— a close Joan-based cousin

Jeanette— a like -ette diminutive name

Nanette— another dainty -ette name of the era

Explore names like Joanette

By themerare vintage diminutive suffix-name

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Joanette mean?

It is a diminutive of Joan, meaning 'God is gracious', with a French -ette ending.

How do you pronounce Joanette?

It's said joh-uh-NET /ˌdʒoʊ.əˈnɛt/, three syllables stressed on the last.

Is Joanette a boy or girl name?

Joanette is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Joanette?

It has always been rare, given to only a couple dozen girls a year around its high in the early nineteen-sixties.