Names That Mean Gracious
Across 8 pages
of 8
Vanna
Italian
"god is gracious"
Diminutive of the Italian Giovanna, or sometimes Vanessa or Ivanna. Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White — who pronounces her name like the end of Savannah — got her name from her grandmother's next-door…
Hananiah
Hebrew
"God is gracious"
This name appears frequently in the Old Testament, notably as the Hebrew name of Shadrach.
Joao
Portuguese variation of John
"God is gracious"
A Portuguese classic, typically spelled with a tilde over the A. Many members of the Portuguese royal family were named João, and today it’s associated with a number of Portuguese and Brazilian…
Jaanus
Variation of Jaan, Estonian
"God is gracious"
An elaboration of Jaan, not quite as widely used in Estonia as the original. Jaan is the Estonian form of John.
Yannic
French, Breton
"god is gracious"
Form of Yannick
Geovanni
Variation of Giovanni, Italian
"God is gracious"
Emphasizes a four-syllable pronunciation, rather than the traditional three of Giovanni.
Giannina
Variation of Giovanna, Italian
"God is gracious"
A romantic way to get to covetable nicknames Gia and Nina.
Giannetta
Variation of Gianna, Italian
"the Lord is gracious"
Elaborate, ultra-feminine variation of Gianna.
Jannis
Frisian, Dutch variation of Johannes
"God is gracious"
In Germany, Jannis outranks its parent name, Johannes. Virtually no American babies were given the name in the last year on record.
Seana
Irish Gaelic
"god is gracious"
More streamlined – and more authentic – than Shawna.
Zuan
Italian
"god is gracious"
Medieval Venetian form of John, which feels ripe for a comeback in 21st-century America.
Jean-luc
French
"God is gracious + man from Lucania"
An example of the traditional French/Catholic style of double names starting with Jean: in this case, two Gospel writers. Star Trek , Captain Jean-Luc Picard is from 24th-century France, where the…
Nayla
Variation of Naila, Arabic
"attainer; gracious"
Top 100 choice in Puerto Rico.
Sean
Irish variation of John
"God is gracious"
Sean may be off its peak for boys, but there were still 1300 baby boys named Sean in the US in the most recent year counted, versus only five baby girls. In fact, there were fewer than 30 baby girls…
Lashawn
Ccmbination name, La + Shawn, Irish variation of John
"God is gracious"
La is the French prefix used to indicate paternity, much the same way Mc or O' are used in Irish and the son suffix is used in English. First names with the La prefix were popularized in the 19th…
Evana
Feminine form of Evan, Welsh form of John
"God is gracious"
Evana is an intriguing feminization, but will often be mistaken for the better-known Ivana, thanks to the first Mrs. Trump.
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…
Jeanmarie
English combination of Jean and Marie
"god is gracious + drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
Rather dated smoosh name. The meaning of Marie is uncertain, but theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea"); "bitter" (from Hebrew marah "bitterness"); and…
Mercè
Catalan
"gracious gifts, benefits"
The Catalan form of Mercedes, with the same Marian associations.
Nonie
Diminutive of Joan, English
"God is gracious"
A Colonial-era nickname for Joan.