# John (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/john/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | “god is gracious” |
| Pronunciation | /d͡ʒɑn/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | Johnny, Jack, Jay, Johnnie, Johnno, Johny |
| Variant spellings | Jon, Jane, Joan, Johannes, Hank, Jowan |
| US babies named this | 5,204,377 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 5,182,633 / 21,744 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 22,533, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Middle English John, Johan, Johannes, from Anglo-Norman Jehan, Johan, and also Old English Iohannes, both from Late Latin Iōhannēs, variant of Latin Iōannēs, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Biblical Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān), perhaps contracted from a former יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān, “God is gracious”). Doublet of Jack, Jon, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Sean, Shane, Shaun, Ian, Ivan, Evan, Juan, Giovanni, and Yahya.

## What it means

John is grouped under grace.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 21 | 6,235 |
| 2012 | 11 | 10,031 |
| 2013 | 16 | 7,557 |
| 2014 | 14 | 8,251 |
| 2015 | 11 | 9,770 |
| 2016 | 12 | 9,123 |
| 2017 | 10 | 10,295 |
| 2018 | 14 | 7,941 |
| 2019 | 14 | 7,922 |
| 2020 | 9 | 10,652 |
| 2021 | 9 | 10,654 |
| 2022 | 7 | 12,832 |
| 2023 | 5 | 16,262 |
| 2024 | 8 | 11,583 |
| 2025 | 6 | 13,974 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 11,068 | 27 |
| 2012 | 10,638 | 28 |
| 2013 | 10,739 | 27 |
| 2014 | 10,701 | 26 |
| 2015 | 10,423 | 26 |
| 2016 | 10,060 | 28 |
| 2017 | 9,536 | 27 |
| 2018 | 9,204 | 26 |
| 2019 | 8,863 | 28 |
| 2020 | 8,265 | 27 |
| 2021 | 8,186 | 27 |
| 2022 | 8,001 | 26 |
| 2023 | 7,804 | 26 |
| 2024 | 8,087 | 21 |
| 2025 | 8,027 | 23 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 645 | 100 |
| 2012 | 618 | 104 |
| 2013 | 576 | 107 |
| 2014 | 601 | 101 |
| 2015 | 594 | 108 |
| 2016 | 512 | 120 |
| 2017 | 513 | 118 |
| 2018 | 486 | 122 |
| 2019 | 431 | 131 |
| 2020 | 361 | 150 |
| 2021 | 359 | 154 |
| 2022 | 360 | 150 |
| 2023 | 334 | 158 |
| 2024 | 304 | 164 |
| 2025 | 296 | 174 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: يُوحَنَّا, يَحْيَى, جُون, رِسَالَة يُوحَنَّا
- Armenian: Հովհաննես
- Bulgarian: Йоан, Иван, Джон
- Catalan: Joan
- Chinese: 約翰 /约翰, 約翰書 /约翰书
- Czech: Jan, Johan
- Danish: Jens, Johannes, Johannesbrev, 1
- Dutch: Jan, Johan, Johannes
- Esperanto: Johano
- Estonian: Jaan, Juhan, Johannese, 1
- Finnish: Juhana, Juhani, Juha, Johanneksen kirje
- French: Jean, 1, 2, 3 Jn
- Georgian: იოანე
- German: Johann, Johannes, Jan, Hans
- Greek: Ιωάννης, Γιάννης, Τζον, Τζων
- Hebrew: יוֹחָנָן, ג׳ון
- Hindi: यूहन्ना, जॉन
- Hungarian: János
- Icelandic: Jón, Jóhann, Jóhannes, Jóhannesarbréf
- Indonesian: Yohanes

## People named John

- John Locke, English philosopher and physician (1632-1704)
- John Maynard Keynes, British economist (1883–1946)
- John Adams, Founding Father, U.S. president from 1797 to 1801 (1735–1826)
- John Lennon, British musician (1940–1980)
- John Milton, English poet and civil servant (1608–1674)
- John Stuart Mill, British philosopher and political economist (1806–1873)
- Johnny Depp, American actor (born 1963)
- John Keats, English Romantic poet (1795–1821)
- John McCain, American politician (1936–2018)
- John Wayne, American actor (1907–1979)
- John Galsworthy, English novelist and playwright (1867–1933)
- Joseph John Thomson, British physicist (1856-1940)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.