How common is the surname John?

33,543 people in the United States had the surname John in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 9,204 Americans. It ranked 1,034th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname John?

In the 2010 Census, 41% of people named John identified as white (not Hispanic), and 21% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

Who is the most famous person named John?

Little Willie John, American R&B singer (1937–1968), followed by Karl John.

Where is the surname John most common?

Wikidata records people named John in the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany and 2 other countries.

How do you pronounce John?

John is /d͡ʒɑn/, one syllable.

Is the surname John getting more or less common?

More common. 27,643 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 33,543 in 2010, up 21%.

Is John also a first name?

Yes. John is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname John

A Norman patronymic surname, carried by 33,543 people in the United States.

Pronounced /d͡ʒɑn/ 1 syllable Soundex J500 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). John is more common than 99.4% of them.

Origin

Norman origin

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.

John is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 128 Norman surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 33,543 people named John in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 9,204 Americans. That is up 21% since 2000, when the Census counted 27,643.

#1,034

rank among US surnames

33,543

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+21.3%

change since 2000 (was #1,161)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,025	Downs	33,922	9,102
#1,026	Pierre	33,913	9,104
#1,027	Haney	33,898	9,108
#1,028	Forbes	33,813	9,131
#1,029	Saenz	33,787	9,138
#1,030	Davies	33,753	9,147
#1,031	Vera	33,674	9,169

Who is named John

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

41% of people named John identified as white (not Hispanic), 21% as Asian and Pacific Islander and 21% as Black (not Hispanic).

White (not Hispanic) 41%
Asian and Pacific Islander 21%
Black (not Hispanic) 21%
American Indian and Alaska Native 11%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.1%
Two or more races 2.4%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Johns

11 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Little Willie John
American R&B singer (1937–1968)
Karl John
1905–1977; German film actor (1905–1977)
Yemi Mary John
British athlete, born 2003
Franz von John
Austrian general, Minister of War of Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary (1815-1876)
Margaret John
British actress (1926–2011)
George John
American soccer player, born 1987
Rosamund John
Actress (1913-1998)
Chris John
American politician, born 1960
Samantha John
American engineer. computer programmer and business executive, born 1985
Theodore St. John
American screenwriter (1906-1956)
Barry John
Anglo-Indian theatre director (born 1944)

Notable Johns come mostly from the United States (5), the United Kingdom (3) and Germany (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Surnames that sound like John

John has the Soundex code J500, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code J500.

Other Norman surnames

All 128 Norman surnames

Questions

Where does the surname John come from?: 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,…
How common is the surname John?: 33,543 people in the United States had the surname John in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 9,204 Americans. It ranked 1,034th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname John?: In the 2010 Census, 41% of people named John identified as white (not Hispanic), and 21% as Asian and Pacific Islander.
Who is the most famous person named John?: Little Willie John, American R&B singer (1937–1968), followed by Karl John.
Where is the surname John most common?: Wikidata records people named John in the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany and 2 other countries.
How do you pronounce John?: John is /d͡ʒɑn/, one syllable.
What type of surname is John?: John is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname John getting more or less common?: More common. 27,643 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 33,543 in 2010, up 21%.
What are other spellings of John?: Jon.
Is John also a first name?: Yes. John is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.