Johanan is of Hebrew origin, derived from the elements 'Yah' meaning 'God', and 'hanan' meaning 'graced'. It was popular among Jews during biblical times but has since become rare. In the Bible, Johanan was a priest who served during King Hezekiah's reign. The name has also been used by historical figures such as Johanan ben Nathan, a Talmudic sage.
The name Johanan experienced significant fluctuations in popularity over the years, with no consistent trend. There were several periods of high popularity, such as from 2006 to 2011 and again in 2016 to 2018, where more than 10 births per year were recorded. However, these peaks were followed by drops in popularity, with some years falling below 5 births. Overall, Johanan has had a total of 240 births over the period from 1982 to 2022.