I’ve loved [name_f]Joanna[/name_f]/[name_f]Johanna[/name_f] ever since I was a kid. If I ever have another daughter, either her first (if I can convince my husband) or middle name will be [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] or [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] as it also makes sense because my mother-in-law’s middle name is [name_u]Jo[/name_u] and my grandmother’s first name is [name_f]Anna[/name_f]. For several years now, I was leaning towards [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] as I like it slightly better visually and I like the soft ‘h’ sound. However, I’m realizing that the way I pronounce it (with the subtle, soft ‘h’ sound but still almost sounding like [name_f]Joanna[/name_f]), others may pronounce the ‘h’ much harsher as if it were [name_u]Jo[/name_u]-[name_f]Hannah[/name_f]. I’m also concerned because [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] can also be pronounced [name_f]Yo[/name_f]-Hahnah or [name_u]Jo[/name_u]-Hahnah, neither of which I like so I’m starting to think [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] would just make it easier. Thoughts?
Also, which combination do you prefer? (I’m going to refer to them all as [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] but just assume it could also be swapped out for [name_f]Johanna[/name_f]).
I definitely prefer [name_f]Johanna[/name_f]. [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] sounds rather dated to me. [name_f]My[/name_f] favourites of your combos are [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] [name_f]Eve[/name_f] and [name_f]Iris[/name_f] [name_f]Johanna[/name_f].
I prefer [name_f]Johanna[/name_f]. [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] (like [name_f]Joanne[/name_f]) sounds dated to me, and [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] just sounds fresh and new. I think [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] [name_f]Iris[/name_f] or [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] [name_f]Eve[/name_f] would be awesome.
I know of two people named [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] - one pronounced [name_u]Jo[/name_u]-HAR-na, the other pronounced [name_u]Jo[/name_u]-[name_f]ANN[/name_f]-a (like [name_f]Joanna[/name_f]). I some cultures it would be used with a Y sound at the beginning - so definitely one that could cause issues with pronounciation (actually, I know a third little [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] but have only seen the name typed on facebook, so still not sure how its pronounced!). If you want to avoid those issues, [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] isn’t the best choice. They are both pretty names though.
I prefer [name_f]Johanna[/name_f]; [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] feels slightly dated to me. For a middle name I would use [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] to keep the honor more obvious. [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] [name_f]Eve[/name_f] and [name_f]Iris[/name_f] [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] are my favorites. [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] [name_f]Iris[/name_f] would be lovely as well.
I’ve felt the same way: I prefer [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] but wonder if it would make my hypothetical kid’s life easier to use [name_f]Joanna[/name_f].
I’ve started to feel like misspellings and mispronunciations aren’t as horrible a fate as we think, as long as the name isn’t extraordinarily difficult. I say [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] the same as you - soft, subtle H, close to [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] - and others will get it after you tell them even if they guess the other way first.
[name_m]Both[/name_m] sound perfect with [name_f]Nora[/name_f]! I love [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] and [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] [name_f]Iris[/name_f]. Not sure if it’s off the table, but from your sig I like [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] [name_f]Bronwen[/name_f].
I prefer [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] but I pronounce it yoh-HAH-nah, so if you want the jo-[name_f]ANN[/name_f]-ah pronunciation (or close to it; I don’t get what you mean by a soft H?) I would go with [name_f]Joanna[/name_f]. [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] [name_f]Eve[/name_f] or [name_f]Eve[/name_f] [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] are nice classic combos, but I also like the spunkier, spirited [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] [name_u]Piper[/name_u].
I like [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] [name_u]Piper[/name_u] best with sister [name_f]Nora[/name_f] [name_f]Cathleen[/name_f]. The style just sounds perfect together.
In regards to the [name_f]Joanna[/name_f]/ [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] conundrum, maybe use [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] if DH lets you use it in the first name place and [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] if you use it as the middle name? Pronunciation issues don’t matter as much for middle names.
[name_f]My[/name_f] personal feeling is that [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] is so strong and lovely- it’s worth the hassle to explain it so people get it right!
Thanks for all the feedback! I’m still torn on whether to use [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] or [name_f]Johanna[/name_f], moreso when it comes to considering one for a first name. mulme944, your suggestion of using [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] as a middle and [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] as a first is what I’ve been thinking about. But again, using [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] as a first name may still be worth it. It’s funny that a few of you mentioned liking [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] [name_f]Eve[/name_f] and [name_f]Iris[/name_f] [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] the best as those are my top choices (with [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] [name_u]Piper[/name_u] a close third).