# Johnson (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/johnson/  
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 | not recorded |
| Meaning | “son of john” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɑnsən/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Jonson |
| US babies named this | 7,043 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 7,021 / 22 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 185, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

A patronymic surname from John + -son, literally “son of John”. * In the U.S. the name Johnson has been adopted by numerous European immigrant families originally named Johansson, Johnsson, Johansen, Jonsson, etc. * Doublet of Johansson, Johansen, Jansen, and Hansen.

## 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1917 | 6 | 4,340 |
| 1977 | 6 | 8,914 |
| 1986 | 5 | 11,698 |
| 1987 | 5 | 12,100 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 72 | 1,939 |
| 2012 | 64 | 2,114 |
| 2013 | 62 | 2,150 |
| 2014 | 61 | 2,219 |
| 2015 | 75 | 1,941 |
| 2016 | 72 | 2,001 |
| 2017 | 61 | 2,204 |
| 2018 | 55 | 2,402 |
| 2019 | 59 | 2,323 |
| 2020 | 62 | 2,221 |
| 2021 | 46 | 2,753 |
| 2022 | 49 | 2,691 |
| 2023 | 48 | 2,714 |
| 2024 | 32 | 3,559 |
| 2025 | 34 | 3,406 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 15 | 1,551 |
| 2011 | 6 | 2,892 |
| 2012 | 8 | 2,458 |
| 2013 | 3 | 4,685 |
| 2014 | 8 | 2,459 |
| 2015 | 6 | 3,004 |
| 2016 | 6 | 3,079 |
| 2017 | 5 | 3,449 |
| 2018 | 6 | 3,011 |
| 2019 | 6 | 3,013 |
| 2020 | 3 | 4,608 |
| 2021 | 3 | 4,789 |
| 2022 | 4 | 4,001 |
| 2023 | 3 | 4,991 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5,137 |

## In other languages

- Armenian: Հովհաննիսյան, Ջոնսոն
- Bulgarian: Иванов
- Danish: Jensen
- Dutch: Janszoon, Johansen
- Esperanto: Johanido
- Georgian: ივანიშვილი, ჯონსონი
- German: Johansen
- Greek: Ιωαννίδης, Ιωάννου, Γιαννόπουλος, Τζόνσον
- Irish: Mac Eoin
- Italian: Di Giovanni
- Lithuanian: Jonavičius
- Norwegian: Johansen
- Polish: Janowicz
- Portuguese: Eanes
- Romanian: Ionescu, Iovănescu
- Russian: Ивано́в, Ивано́ва, Ива́нович, Ивано́вич
- Spanish: Juánez
- Swedish: Johansson, Jansson
- Ukrainian: Іване́нко, Джо́нсон
- Arabic: جُونْسُون

## People named Johnson

- Penny Johnson Jerald, American actress
- Martin Johnson Heade, American painter (1819-1904)
- William Johnson Sollas, British geologist and anthropologist (1849 – 1936)
- Frank Johnson Goodnow, American historian (1859–1939)
- Charles Johnson Maynard, American ornithologist
- Johnson Newlon Camden, American politician (1828-1908)
- Johnson Beharry, British Army officer
- Johnson Hagood, Confederate Army general and Governor of South Carolina (1829–1898)
- Johnson N. Camden Jr., American politician (1865–1942)
- Josiah Johnson Hawes, American photographer (1808–1901)
- Christopher McCandless, American hiker and explorer (1968–1992)
- Don Ellis, American jazz musician (1934-1978)

## 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.