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Given name & surname · also Latin

John

“God is gracious”

John’s short English form carries a long biblical and international history. Behind it is the Hebrew meaning “God is gracious,” with John the Baptist and John the Apostle among the figures who made the name central to Christian naming.

Original LatinIoannes

Find names like John

Meaning & origin

What it means

The traditional meaning is “God is gracious.” It belongs to the Hebrew name Johanan, which predates the shorter English form.

Where it comes from

John comes from Hebrew Johanan through the Greek Iōannēs and Latin Johannes. Its many language forms include Jean, Giovanni, Juan, Johann and Ivan.

How it developed

Greek Iōannēs represents a contracted form of Johanan; Latin used Johannes, and English developed John. The different language forms preserve the name family without all sharing the same spelling or pronunciation.

The story

John the Baptist is associated with baptism in the River Jordan, while John the Apostle is the fisherman and brother of James. Later saints, popes and rulers extended the name’s reach. Christian tradition also identifies the apostle with John the Evangelist, although that identification is debated.

In the Bible

In the Bible, the name John appears in Matthew 3:1, Matthew 4:21, Revelation 1:4 and 1 other passage.

  • Matthew 3:1
  • Matthew 4:21
  • Revelation 1:4
  • John 1:42

From biblical name research

John through the years

Babies since 1880
5,204,377
5,182,633 boys · 21,744 girls
Most popular year
1947
88,527 babies
2025
8,033
#23 for boys · #13,974 for girls
2021–25 vs 2016–20
−13%
Easing
025K50K75K100K18801900192019401960198020002025Highest share 18804,699
John in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1880–2025, per million boys born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

Where it’s given

Most at home inAlabama, Mississippi, District of Columbia
FewerMore, relative to births Not published
2025 births by state of birth. Tiles are equal-sized so small states stay visible. Highest rates: Alabama (343), Mississippi (151), District of Columbia (34), Rhode Island (40), Hawaii (33).

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 8,027 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 23 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 12.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 88,324 in 1947. It also appeared in 6 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (744). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,125,123 as a first name in 2020; 37,363 as a surname in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

John’s family of names

In English usage, John has a diminutive in Jack. John shares a linguistic root with Juan. In English usage, John has a conventional equivalent in the Norman form Jean.

Walk John’s family in the name graph

JohnJoonJohneJackJaneJayJohnnyJonJackieJohnnieJanHankJohanJoaoJohannJayneJhonJuanSeanJeanJanetGiannaIvanZaneJoannaHannaJoanneJanisGianniJonasYahyaGiovannaIvanaYohanHansJoniKeonJovanKeoniEanYan

Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Around the world

John has relatives in 91 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.

GreenlandicScotsEnglishFinnishKazakhBengaliTagalogCebuanoHebrew

187 related names in 91 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.

Each dot marks where a language is rooted, not where people with the name live today. Bigger dots hold more names. Dots on the border stand for languages further away. Language locations from Glottolog (CC BY 4.0); map from Natural Earth.

Nicknames & forms 82

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

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And 22 more.

Spellings & scripts 2

The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.

Across languages 227

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

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And 167 more.

See also 22

Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.

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People named John

Characters named John: Tarzan (fictional character by Edgar Rice Burroughs), Dr. Watson (fictional character of Sherlock Holmes), John Rambo (the Rambo franchise), John Bull (national personification of the United Kingdom).

Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.

Appears in

Similar names

If you love John, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Hebrew · Celtic

James

“supplanter” · “heel grabber”

94Very commonEasing

99% boys · 1% girls

Latin · Timeless

Paul

“small” · “a small or humble man”

68FamiliarEasing

>99% boys

Greek · Timeless

Peter

“as solid and strong as a rock”

73CommonSteady

>99% boys

Hebrew · Timeless

Joseph

“God shall add”

88Very commonEasing

>99% boys

Hebrew · Royal

David

“Beloved” · “darling”

87Very commonEasing

>99% boys

Aramaic · Victorian era

Thomas

“twin”

87Very commonSteady

>99% boys

Hebrew · Literary

Jesse

“gift” · “God exists; a gift from God; God sees all”

74CommonSteady

97% boys · 3% girls

Hebrew · Biblical

Michael

“who is like God?”

89Very commonEasing

>99% boys

Sibling ideas

Names that share John’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for John

A sister for John