Updated February 15, 2024

Table of contents

Find Baby Names

Boy name origins & meanings

  • Hebrew : God's grace
  • Greek : God is good

What does John mean and stand for?

The name John is of Hebrew origin meaning "God is gracious." John is an English derivative of the Hebrew name Yochanan via the Latin name Iohannes. Along with its strong presence in Christianity, John was the name of countless kings and notables, making it the most popular name for 400 years.

Syllables: 1

Boy name variations

Johnny

Johnny

+ 10% this year
Masculine
Uncommon
READ MORE DETAILS
Johnnie

Johnnie

- 13% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jack

Jack

- 7% this year
Masculine
Common
READ MORE DETAILS
Jock

Jock

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jocko

Jocko

+ 56% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Johann

Johann

+ 14% this year
Neutral
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Johan

Johan

+ 14% this year
Neutral
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jenner

Jenner

+ 14% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Janos

Janos

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jovan

Jovan

- 2% this year
Neutral
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Juan

Juan

+ 13% this year
Masculine
Common
READ MORE DETAILS
Johannes

Johannes

+ 28% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Johnson

Johnson

+ 7% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Johnavon

Johnavon

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jansen

Jansen

- 5% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Janson

Janson

+ 56% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jones

Jones

- 7% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jackson

Jackson

- 13% this year
Masculine
Common
READ MORE DETAILS
Jenkins

Jenkins

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Hanson

Hanson

+ 25% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Hansen

Hansen

- 26% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jonnel

Jonnel

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Hans

Hans

- 4% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Ivan

Ivan

+ 3% this year
Masculine
Common
READ MORE DETAILS
Ian

Ian

+ 4% this year
Masculine
Common
READ MORE DETAILS
Iaian

Iaian

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Eoin

Eoin

- 4% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Sean

Sean

- 11% this year
Neutral
Uncommon
READ MORE DETAILS
Shawn

Shawn

- 9% this year
Neutral
Uncommon
READ MORE DETAILS
Shane

Shane

- 4% this year
Neutral
Uncommon
READ MORE DETAILS
Seain

Seain

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Zane

Zane

- 10% this year
Neutral
Common
READ MORE DETAILS
Jaenda

Jaenda

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Janco

Janco

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jantje

Jantje

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jian

Jian

+ 21% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Joen

Joen

+ 20% this year
Neutral
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Johne

Johne

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jone

Jone

0 % this year
Neutral
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jontavius

Jontavius

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Johahn

Johahn

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Johanan

Johanan

- 13% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Johane

Johane

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Johannan

Johannan

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Johaun

Johaun

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Johon

Johon

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jehan

Jehan

- 29% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jehann

Jehann

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jenkin

Jenkin

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jenkyn

Jenkyn

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jenkyns

Jenkyns

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jennings

Jennings

- 9% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jens

Jens

+ 5% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jense

Jense

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jentz

Jentz

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Joenes

Joenes

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Joennes

Joennes

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Joenns

Joenns

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Johnsie

Johnsie

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Joness

Joness

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Jonesy

Jonesy

+ 20% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Juhana

Juhana

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Juha

Juha

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Juhanah

Juhanah

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Juhanna

Juhanna

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Juhannah

Juhannah

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Juho

Juho

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Yannis

Yannis

+ 4% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Yannakis

Yannakis

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Yanni

Yanni

- 30% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS
Yiannis

Yiannis

- 4% this year
Masculine
Rare
READ MORE DETAILS

How Popular Is The Name John

Family name origins & meanings

  • English, Welsh, German, etc. : ultimately from the Hebrew personal name yọ̄hānān ‘Jehovah has favored (me with a son)’ or ‘may Jehovah favor (this child)’. This personal name was adopted into Latin (via Greek) as Johannes, and has enjoyed enormous popularity in Europe throughout the Christian era, being given in honor of St. John the Baptist, precursor of Christ, and of St. John the Evangelist, author of the fourth gospel, as well as others of the nearly one thousand other Christian saints of the name. Some of the principal forms of the personal name in other European languages are Welsh Ieuan, Evan, Siôn, and Ioan; Scottish Ia(i)n; Irish Séan; German Johann, Johannes, Hans; Dutch Jan; French Jean; Italian Giovanni, Gianni, Ianni; Spanish Juan; Portuguese João; Greek Iōannēs (vernacular Yannis); Czech Jan; Russian Ivan. Polish has surnames both from the western Slavic form Jan and from the eastern Slavic form Iwan. There were a number of different forms of the name in Middle English, including Jan(e), a male name (see Jane); Jen (see Jenkin); Jon(e) (see Jones); and Han(n) (see Hann). There were also various Middle English feminine versions of this name (e.g. Joan, Jehan), and some of these were indistinguishable from masculine forms. The distinction on grounds of gender between John and Joan was not firmly established in English until the 17th century. It was even later that Jean and Jane were specialized as specifically feminine names in English; bearers of these surnames and their derivatives are more likely to derive them from a male ancestor than a female. As a surname in the British Isles, John is particularly frequent in Wales, where it is a late formation representing Welsh Siôn rather than the older form Ieuan (which gave rise to the surname Evan). As an American family name this form has absorbed various cognates from continental European languages. (For forms, see Hanks and Hodges 1988.)

Famous people with this last name

Popularity

According to Social Security Administration data, John has been consistently popular, remaining in the top 30 since 2000. It even enjoyed a spot in the top 20 from 2000 to 2008.

However, it is the 46th most popular name on FamilyEducation.com.

According to Google search data analysis, in the last five years John was at its peak popularity in September 2018.

Starting as a derivative from a Hebrew name, John became quite popular with the emergence of Christianity. The name gained popularity with John the Baptist, John the Apostle and John the Evangelist, as well as 84 saints and 23 popes. Various kings and notables also were named John, making it the most popular name for nearly 400 years. Today, John remains in the top 10 for boy names starting with J, but most parents choose to use the nickname Jack. Contrary to popular belief, the names John and Jonathan are unrelated, as Jonathan is an elaboration of Nathan.

Where is it Popular?

John was searched for most often in the following states:

Nicknames for John

  • Jack
  • Johnny

Pairs well with these middle names

 

meaning and origin of John