John
Feminine · “God is gracious”
John is given to boys far more often — 5,182,633 boys against 21,744 girls since 1880. See John as a boy name
John appears on the girls' side of the American registers in real numbers, and the reason is mostly devotional or familial: a daughter given a father's name, or a Marian and Johannine compound recorded by its first element only.
How old is the name John?
John was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical John alive today was born around 1945, making them about 80 years old. About 11,500 people named John are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name John most popular?
John peaked in 1880, reaching #227 nationally. Today it ranks #13208, 12,981 places below that high. See the whole 1880 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Yohanan to John
The story of John
John was the most-given man's name in Europe for the better part of a thousand years, carried by the Baptist and the Evangelist together. Nineteenth and early twentieth-century American families named daughters after fathers and grandfathers as a matter of course, and clerks recorded what they were told — which is why the girls' registers of that period carry John, Willie, Jimmie and Bobbie alongside their feminine forms. The practice faded by the middle of the century.
Meaning
God is gracious
From the Hebrew Yohanan — 'the Lord is gracious' — through the Greek Ioannes and the Latin Johannes. It is among the best-documented etymologies of any name, and the meaning has never been in question in any of the languages that borrowed it.
How the name formed
- Yohanan
- Ioannes
- Johannes
- John
Related forms: Jeanne · Juana · Joan · Siobhán
Pronouncing John
JON
One syllable. Said identically whichever sex carries it.
Nicknames for John
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 1927440 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #227reached in 1880
- Change vs 2022
- −14.3%6 in 2025, from 7
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
John in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Jeanne in French — related form
- Juana in Spanish — related form
- Joan in English — related form
- Siobhán in Irish — related form
Johns among us
people named John are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 267,878 born in 2025 was named John
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
John sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
John beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to John in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The most widely used man's name in European history, with an unmatched documented record.
- Joan, Jeanne, Juana and Siobhán are all its feminine forms and all available.
- One syllable, four letters, and never misheard.
- In English the name reads as unambiguously masculine, whatever the registers show.
- The practice that produced it has effectively ended.
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What they receive
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John
Feminine · #13208 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Johns are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 11,500 people named John are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name John in 2025?
- John ranks #13208 among US girl names in 2025, with 6 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name John?
- About 1 in every 267,878 US girls born in 2025 was named John — 6 in all.
- Will my child share the name John with classmates?
- John will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside John
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Vinnie#13208 · Margery#13208 · Jossie#13208 · Tressa#13208 · Erie#13208 · Bernadine#13208 · Euna#13208 · Jack#13208
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles John? See the current top 100.
Choosing between John and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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