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[Opinions] Joanna
As always around christmas I watched one of my favorite movies "Love, Actually". Two characters in it are named Joanna (well, one of them is dead) and it has been growing on me a lot. I have known about three Joannas from Germany, a Joana from Germany and a Joanna from New Zealand as well as an English Joanna and an American Joanna. Still it seems uncommon. The ones I know are far apart in age and live in different countries so I think it would be an underused, lovely choice.What do you think? It's kind of weird because I don't really like Jo or Anna but I do like Joanna. Do you think it's plain? Because it is simply Jo and Anna combined I sometimes find it a bit boring and unattractive, but at the moment I like it.Too common? It shortly made the top 100 in the 80s. How many do you know and how old are they?
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I only know one, an Englishwoman in her 60s. I like it very much, and I also like Joan but not as much. I abhor Joann(e), and Jo as a nn. All the Joann(e)s I know are called Jo, but none of the Joans; Joanna isn't anything but Joanna at all ever!
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I think it's pretty in a no-nonsense kind of way. It doesn't seem plain to me, though. I don't know many Joannas. I've encountered more people named JoAnn/Joanne, etc. than I have people named Joanna. I can think of two Joannas I've actually known - one is about 24 and the other is around 25 or 26. One of them was born in the U.S., and the other was born in the Philippines but moved to the U.S. when she was a little girl. It's not overly popular where I live.

This message was edited 12/1/2011, 6:51 PM

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I like Joanna. It's quiet, strong, and feminine but free from frill. I know two. One would have to be around 35 by now, and the other is in her 70s, I'm guessing. The older one spells it Johanna with a silent H; I don't care for that. I also know a Johanna, pron. like Jo+Hannah, who's 6. I'd be a little afraid to use Joanna if I didn't at least like Jo and Anna. Really obvious nicknames are the hardest to prevent.
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My very good friend Caroline has a daughter named Joanna Rose. I like the name Joanna a lot.
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I really like Johanna, personally. It's a soft and gentle name with a lot of history. I think it's feminine without being frilly. I don't think it's plain at all, and I especially love the opportunity for the nickname Annie, which is one of my favorites.I tend to think of it as a female form of John rather than a mash-up of Jo and Anna, and I think that helps to make it more attractive.I don't know any Joannas personally. My mom knows a few Joannes, so middle-aged American women.
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I absolutely love Joanna !
i like Joanne too :)
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I like Joanna. I don't think its very common at all. I also like Johannah (pronounce Jo-hannah) which is similar but maybe not as common?
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I know one Joanna, and she's my mother. I don't think it's ever been all that common here. I like it, it's simple and pretty and feels quite classic.
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Hi. I quite like the name Joanna personally. While it may contain both Jo and Anna, it's not really the 2 smooshed together, but rather yet another derivitive of John in fem. form...
John Johnna
Jean Jeanne
Juan Juana
Johanne(s) Johanna, Johanneke
Drop the h and you get Joanne, Joan and Joanna.My combo for this is Kaori Joanna.
I had a friend in school named Joanna (she would have been born in the 70s) and there were a few others (and 1 Johanna) that I went to school with at 1 time or other... My parents are friends w/ a Joanna whom I'm guessing is in her 60s. There's one I know from camp who was born in the 80s. I know of 1 more that was born in the 70s that I met as an adult. I seem to know more Joannes than Joannas.
I agree that it's nice, but not overused. It's tasteful and recognizable without being overdone. My fave is Johanneke, but next would be Joanna.
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