Joan
Joan is a man's name in Spain and a woman's name in the United States and Great Britain. Which country the person is from decides the answer.
This name's gender leans differently depending on the country — check the table below before you assume.
- Verdict
- Depends on the country
- Male / female split
- 2% male / 98% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Great Britain, Denmark
- US births since 1880
- 6,147 male / 479,918 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Joan
To address Joan when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Joan," in English, "Guten Tag Joan," in German. Joan is a man's name in Spain and a woman's name in the United States, so the right greeting depends entirely on their country. Ask directly if you are unsure.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Joan,
German
Guten Tag Joan,
French
Bonjour Joan,
Spanish
Estimado/a Joan:
Chinese
Joan您好：
Japanese
Joan様
English
Hi Joan,
German
Hi Joan,
French
Salut Joan,
Spanish
Hola Joan,
Chinese
Joan你好：
Japanese
Joanさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | woman's name | 1% |
| Great Britain | common | woman's name | 2% |
| Denmark | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Ireland | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Malta | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Spain | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Netherlands | uncommon | unisex name | 50% |
| Belgium | rare | unisex name | 50% |
| France | rare | man's name | 75% |
| Norway | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Sweden | rare | woman's name | 2% |
United States birth data
6,147 male · 479,918 female · 486,065 births recorded
Since 1980: 37% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Joan a male or female name?
Joan is a man's name in Spain and a woman's name in the United States and Great Britain. Which country the person is from decides the answer.
How do I address Joan in an email?
To address Joan when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Joan," in English, "Guten Tag Joan," in German. Joan is a man's name in Spain and a woman's name in the United States, so the right greeting depends entirely on their country. Ask directly if you are unsure.
Is Joan a unisex name?
Joan is not a unisex name: 2% of people named Joan are men. The gender leans heavily on which country the person is from.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Joan a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/joan (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_joan,
title = {Is Joan a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/joan},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}