Meaning & Origin
A female given name from Spanish.
Juanita is a girl's and boy's baby name of Spanish origin, a Spanish feminine diminutive of Juan — the Spanish form of John, from the Hebrew Yochanan meaning "God is gracious." Juanita became popular in the United States among Hispanic communities and in the American Southwest.
Juanita ranked in the U.S. top 30 girls' names from the 1920s through the 1940s. The 1954 country song "Juanita" helped spread the name beyond purely Spanish-speaking communities. It carries a warm, musical quality — the diminutive suffix adding softness to the strong Juan foundation.