Giannis

Giannis - A very unique male name

Giannis appeared on the charts for the first time in 2017 on position #3329. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Giannis and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Giannis? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Giannis. The baby boy name Giannis was given to 58 baby boys in 2025, ranking #1597 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 25,281 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Giannis peaked in popularity 5 years ago in 2021 on position 1187.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Giannis, 1-5?

Giannis is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Giannis is currently topping the baby name charts in Virginia at position #1,145 - and is the least popular in Texas at position #1,967.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Giannis is where you live.

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Giannis origin and meaning

Greek form of John, from Hebrew

John: 'God is gracious,' from Hebrew Yochanan

Giannis is the everyday Greek form of Ioannis — John. It entered the US data only in 2017, a direct effect of Giannis Antetokounmpo's rise with the Milwaukee Bucks; births peaked in 2021, his championship year. Few names in the data are so plainly a single athlete's footprint.

Attested etymology

Giannis is a 7 letter name with 3 syllables.

To see famous people named Giannis, pop culture references for the name Giannis and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Giannis

We've found the following names that sound similar to Giannis, sorted by popularity.

Genesis / Gaines / Ganesh /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Giannis

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Giannis a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Giannis?

3 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

YAH-nees · /ˈjɑnis/
Greek pronunciation is YAH-nees; American sports media often say ee-AH-nis or jee-AH-nis.

Around the world

• Ioannis (Greek) — The formal Greek form of the same name.
• John (English) — The English form.
• Gianni (Italian) — The related Italian short form.

Spellings and nicknames

• Ioannis — The formal Greek spelling in Latin letters.

Famous bearers

• Giannis Antetokounmpo — Greek basketball player, NBA champion and two-time MVP with the Milwaukee Bucks (b. 1994) Contemporary

Style

International

Why parents choose it

In the US today Giannis is a basketball tribute name — chosen by fans and Greek families alike.

Worth knowing

• The Antetokounmpo association is total, and English speakers will mangle both name and surname.