John
Boy nameJohn has been given to 5,204,377 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1947 and currently ranks #23 for boys (2025).
Meaning & origin /d͡ʒɒn/
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.
Origin: the Bible < Hebrew
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
5,204,377
Peak year
1947 (88,527 babies)
Rank in 2025
#23 for boys
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -23%
Gender split
0% girls / 100% boys
Famous people named John
John F. Kennedy
President of the United States from 1961 to 1963 (1917–1963)
John Locke
English philosopher and physician (1632-1704)
J. R. R. Tolkien
English writer and philologist (1892–1973)
John Adams
Founding Father, U.S. president from 1797 to 1801 (1735–1826)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as John.
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