Names That Mean Gracious
Across 8 pages
of 8
The names
Janice
Variation of Jane
"God is gracious"
For a minute or two this sounded more modern than Janet, now equally outmoded.
Shona
Scottish Gaelic
"God is gracious"
Anglicized form of Seònaid, the Scottish Gaelic equivalent of Janet. It has historically been quite popular in Scotland, although it hasn't ranked in the Top 100 there since 1995. Shona is also,…
Johanna
Hebrew
"God is gracious"
Johanna is the version of this name used in Holland, Germany, and Scandinavia. The extra h makes Johanna a slightly more dignified version of Joanna. A notable namesake is the author of Heidi ,…
Jonna
Scandinavian variation of Johanna
"God is gracious"
A Scandinavian short form of Johanna, properly pronounced with a Y sound at the start, but would likely be read as the more prosaic "John-a" in an English-speaking context.
Joanie
Diminutive of Joan, English
"God is gracious"
Although Joan was the more popular name in the 20th century, it's the nickname Joanie that is likely to be revived first. Joan ranked as a Top 100 name from the mid '20s to the mid '60s, and the US…
Jackie
English
"God is gracious"
A cute diminutive of Jack, already technically a nickname for John, famously borne by Hong Kong actor, director and martial artist Jackie Chan.
Maryjane
English, combination of Mary and Jane
"drop of the sea, bitter, beloved + god is gracious"
Mary was such a common name for so long that it sprouted a whole family of chimeric name splices: Maryann, Marybeth, Mary-Lousie, ad infinitum. Spiderman 's Mary Jane Watson, the closed toe shoe with…
Joan
English feminine variation of John, Hebrew
"God is gracious"
Joan was the perfect name choice for one of the leading characters on Mad Men , being a quintessential girls' name of the period. A Top 10 name in the 30s, a Top 50 name from the 40s through the…
Shawn
Spelling variation of Sean
"God is gracious"
Shawn is one name that's become less unisex and more distinctly male over time in all its spellings, given to only 14 baby girls and over 500 boys in the US in the most recent year counted. But at…
Shauna
Hebrew
"God is gracious"
More modern options: Shaw, Shay, or even Sean.
Siobhan
Irish Gaelic
"god is gracious"
Siobhan is the Irish variation of Joan, which is derived from the ancient Anglo-Norman name Jehanne. In this way Siobhan is indirectly related to the name Sinead—the Irish form of Jeannette, which…
Deshawn
American invented name, variation of Shawn
"God is gracious"
Classically, the De- prefix indicates "son of," so any variation of this name could work for the child of a dad named Shawn or Sean. DeShawn Stevenson is a former professional basketball player.
Joanne
French variation of Joanna, Hebrew
"God is gracious"
A Top 100 name from the 1930s all the way through the 1950s, it's now firmly in Mom -- or Grandma -- land and supplanted for babies by Joanna.....or even great-grandmother Josephine. In its heyday,…
Janie
Diminutive of Jane, English
"God is gracious"
Will this old-fashioned nickname make a comeback, now that Jane has shed her "plain" image? Janie is cute and approachable, and would stand as well on the birth certificate as Josie and Jessie do…
Jean
French variation of John
"God is gracious"
One of the most enduring French names, this form of John has been borne by philosophers (Rousseau and Sartre), artists (Millet, Arp) and fashion designers (Gaultier) alike. Often used in a double…
Janet
Diminutive of Jane
"God is gracious"
Janet started as a pet form of Jane but has long been used independently. Jane is a feminine form of John, which derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan. Janet can also be considered a variation of…
Gian
Italian, diminutive of Giovanni
"God is gracious"
Gian sounds (almost) like John, so there's some potential for confusion, but the spelling makes it unmistakeably Italian. It could be a solution if longer names like Gianni and Gianluca aren't your…
Evans
Welsh surname
"the Lord is gracious"
Evans is an historic Welsh patronymic surname, derived from Evan, which is a form of John. With Evan's popularity in the U.S. and the U.K. -- it's a Top 50 names -- the stylish s-ending version may…
Johnnie
Diminutive of John, Hebrew
"God is gracious"
This spelling of the traditional nickname for John is a bit more feminine than Johnny, based on the fashion at the turn of the 20th century to use boyish diminutives ending in -ie for girls.
Jeanne
French variation of Jean
"God is gracious"
Pronounced just like Jean in the English-speaking world, but as the more unusual zhahn in France, this has sailed away with the first wave of French favorites: Denise, Michelle, et soeurs.