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Joao
♂ Boy
Pronounced ZHWOW /ʒwɐ̃w/Low
Meaning: God is gracious, God is goodLow
In 30 seconds: Joao is the Portuguese form of John meaning God is gracious, from the Hebrew Yochanan. Used throughout Brazil and Portugal, it has an unusual phonetic profile in English but is one of the most popular names in the Portuguese-speaking world.
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MeaningGod is gracious, God is good
U.S. rank (2025)#1471 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births121 boys (0.01% of U.S. boys)
Peak year2024
Total births (all-time)≈ 2,351
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
Joao is the Portuguese form of Johannes/John from Hebrew Yochanan meaning God is gracious. It has been one of the most popular names in Brazil and Portugal for centuries.
Joao is widely used in Brazil, Portugal, and Portuguese-speaking communities worldwide.
Did you know? Joao has been consistently one of the top boy names in Brazil and Portugal for decades. The Portuguese tilde on the a gives it a nasal sound not found in English, making this one-syllable name genuinely exotic to English speakers.
Overall data confidence 90%
Variations
JuanGiovanniJoão
Nicknames
Jo
Famous Bearers
- ★João Gilberto (1931–2019)Brazilian guitarist, singer and composer regarded as the father of bossa nova
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Frequently Asked
What does Joao mean?
God is gracious, God is good
How do you pronounce Joao?
Joao is pronounced ZHWOW.
What is the origin of Joao?
Joao comes from Portuguese, Hebrew.
What names are similar to Joao?
Similar names include marco, lucas, gabriel.