Ok so first off, I am an aspiring novelist and I hope someday maybe to be a mother. (So far I am unmarried and in my twenties). [name_f]One[/name_f] of my top names for a child and not a character is [name_f]Johanna[/name_f]. I love this name. It’s a name I started loving when I was with my ex-boyfriend. It seemed like his style and we are both of [name_m]German[/name_m] descent (although we both have other nationalities in addition to being [name_m]German[/name_m] American.) I read [name_f]Heidi[/name_f] as little girl and I like the [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] Spyri connection. anyway I have always pronounced [name_u]Jo[/name_u] ha-na or [name_f]Yo[/name_f] han na.
Then one day I was watching Castle and it was on [name_m]Beckett[/name_m]'s mother’s tomb (her first name). I got excited even though this name pops up a lot lately. Then the character was discussing her mother’s death and she called her [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] just like that. I was so upset. It’s still my favorite but I prefer a more Germanic pronunciation. The thing that bothered me the most was she left out the h all together. I don’t love, but could deal [name_u]Jo[/name_u]-hanne na- but [name_u]Jo[/name_u] [name_f]Anna[/name_f] without the h? What not just go with [name_f]Joanna[/name_f]?
Anyway I want to know even if you don’t use the h, how do you pronounce this name?
I ignore the H because that’s how the [name_f]Johanna[/name_f]'s I know with that spelling pronounced their own names. I pronounce it like [name_u]JO[/name_u]-anna
I was trying to remember where I first heard this name, and then you said it, [name_f]Heidi[/name_f]! I loved that book. I pronounce it [name_m]Joe[/name_m]-[name_f]Hannah[/name_f]. I’ve never met a [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] though, so I don’t have a real person to base it off of. I prefer [name_m]Joe[/name_m]-[name_f]Hannah[/name_f] to [name_u]Jo[/name_u]-[name_f]Anna[/name_f].
I actually pronounce it [name_m]Joe[/name_m]-[name_f]Hannah[/name_f]. I’ve never met one in real life and I only remember this pronunciation from the Real World [name_m]Austin[/name_m].
However I did know both a Jihana and a Jehana growing up and both pronounced their names with the h sound.
I always assumed the ‘h’ was silent. That’s the only way I’ve heard it pronounced.
[name_f]Johanna[/name_f] is on my girls list right now even though it doesn’t match my girls’ names. I definitely pronounce it [name_u]Jo[/name_u]-[name_f]Hannah[/name_f]. I’ve never heard the h as silent! I don’t like [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] either. [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] is beautiful though! Most recently I’ve heard it from the Duggars, one of their younger girls is [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] and they pronounce the h.
I pronounce the H in [name_f]Johanna[/name_f]. I prefer [name_f]Joanna[/name_f], though.
I pronounce it yo-HAH-nuh.
If you introduce her that way, that’s what people will say. And it will probably only take teachers one correction, on that first day of roll call. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps!
I actually don’t mind either pronunciation, I’ve heard both in use. If someone has the H, I would be more likely to say [name_m]Joe[/name_m]-HAH-nah, and if they didn’t, [name_m]Joe[/name_m]-anna. However, I’ve met a [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] who said [name_m]Joe[/name_m]-anna, and a [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] who called herself [name_m]Joe[/name_m]-[name_m]AH[/name_m]-nah, so I really just go by what they prefer. I think [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] sounds more exotic, and [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] a little more sweet and homey, at least on paper, because it looks more like a Southern combination of [name_m]Joe[/name_m] and [name_f]Anna[/name_f] than a feminized Germanic version of [name_m]John[/name_m].
Actually, seeing cosmonaut’s post I must agree I have heard yo-hannah as a pronunciation. I have no idea where I heard it but I am sure it is a pronunciation of the name found in South American countries (I may be mistaken as for where it came from but I have heard it)
I know a girl named [name_f]Johanna[/name_f], they pronounce the h and I much prefer that pronunciation 
[name_u]Jo[/name_u]-HA-nuh is how I pronounce it.
I love [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] (I say joe-HAH-nah, but I like the more [name_m]German[/name_m] yo- beginning, too!), but I’m really confused by your Castle comment! I’ve been a long-time fan of the show–I’ve been watching it since it came out–and not once do I remember it being pronounced like [name_f]Joanna[/name_f]! It’s always been joe-HAH-nah. Maybe they said it really fast, so you just thought you heard [name_f]Joanna[/name_f]? I’m pretty sure it’s pronounced joe-HAH-nah on the show, but I am not sure where to look to verify that, and I don’t really have access to watch the show at the moment.
I pronounce [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] like jo-HAH-nah. I think it’s very lovely.
I went to school with both a [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] and a [name_f]Johanna[/name_f]. [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] was definitely pronounced like [name_u]Jo[/name_u]-[name_f]Hannah[/name_f], not like the other [name_f]Joanna[/name_f]!
I pronounce it like how my friend with this name pronounces it, [name_m]Joe[/name_m]-hannah.
i think the majority of people will say [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] because its just a more popular name
[name_f]Johanna[/name_f] - the way you want it pronounced - though technically it can be phoentical, its said differently due to culture and accent…which the majority of people dont have
I love the name [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] so much more then [name_f]Joanna[/name_f]. I have yet to meet a [name_f]Johanna[/name_f]. I know 2 [name_f]Joanne[/name_f]'s and 1 [name_f]Joanna[/name_f].
I’ve always pronounced it with the ‘H’. Either [name_u]Jo[/name_u]-Ha-Na or [name_m]Joe[/name_m]-[name_f]Hannah[/name_f].
I definitely pronounce the H, and if I met a [name_f]Johanna[/name_f] who didn’t pronounce it, I’d wonder why it wasn’t just [name_f]Joanna[/name_f].
Ok I just want to thank everyone for the comments and their help. You guys were so kind. Thank you!
@Ashthedreamer I swear I heard [name_f]Joanna[/name_f]. I think it was the first episode where she interrogates someone for her mother’s death, but I could be wrong.
In general I think this name is getting trendy, but I am keeping on my top ten for now.
Thanks so much!