According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Joanna reached peaked usage — and entered the girls’ top 100 for the first time — in 1984:
- 1986: 2,227 baby girls named Joanna [rank: 126th]
- 1985: 2,772 baby girls named Joanna [rank: 99th]
- 1984: 3,330 baby girls named Joanna [rank: 88th]
- 1983: 2,120 baby girls named Joanna [rank: 139th]
- 1982: 1,834 baby girls named Joanna [rank: 161st]
(The spelling Johanna also saw higher usage that year.)
What gave Joanna a boost?
The song “Joanna” by Kool & The Gang.
The R&B love ballad was the second track on the group’s 15th studio album, In The Heart. It was released as a single in November of 1983 and peaked at #2 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in February of 1984.
The music video for “Joanna” featured a motherly woman who worked at a diner:
The video makes more sense when you learn that the song was originally entitled “Dear Mom.” Here’s the story behind the name change, from Jim Bonnefond (co-producer and chief engineer of In The Heart):
When they wrote “Joanna,” they wrote it as a song called “Dear Mom.” And I listened to the song and I liked it, but I couldn’t see how they would be able to work with that title. So I suggested that they pick a girl’s name. I said, “It’s a shame that ‘Rosanna‘ has just been used, but something that has the same flow and sound as ‘Rosanna.'” I stopped short of saying ‘Joanna,’ but somebody figured that out on their own.
(Jim later specified that the band’s trombone player, Clifford Adams, was the one who suggested ‘Joanna.’)
What are your thoughts on the name Joanna?
P.S. James “J.T.” Taylor, who became Kool & The Gang’s lead singer in 1979, added the “J.T.” to his name when people started confusing him with folk-rock singer-songwriter James Taylor.
Sources:
- Joanna (Kool & the Gang song) – Wikipedia
- Kool & the Gang – Billboard
- Jeske, Lee. “Deodato and Bonnefond: The Voices from the Booth” [PDF]. Cash Box 29 Dec. 1984: KG-8, KG-12.
- Joanna by Kool & The Gang – Songfacts
- Tuber, Keith. “The Other James Taylor.” Orange Coast Magazine Mar. 1990: 198-201.
- SSA
Image: Screenshot of the music video for “Joanna”
I used to like playing the song “Joanna” on the piano. It was in my pop music songbook that my piano teacher let me have as a treat (because it was mostly a strict diet of classical pieces).
I had a friend named Joanna when the song came out. She went by Jojo. Her whole family used to put their cornbread into their milk glass at the beginning of dinner, and then drink the milk as dessert. It was so weird and southern.