Boy nameCurrently #21 in the USFalling
John
JON//dʒɒn//
1 syllablePeak year: 19474 lettersStarts with J
Meaning & origin
God is gracious
John comes from the Hebrew 'Yochanan', meaning 'God is gracious', and is among the most historically significant names in the Western world, borne by John the Baptist, the apostle John, and countless kings and popes. Simple and timeless, it has never gone out of use.
John's popularity over time
| Year | Births named John |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 9,701 |
| 1881 | 8,794 |
| 1882 | 9,597 |
| 1883 | 8,934 |
| 1884 | 9,428 |
| 1885 | 8,801 |
| 1886 | 9,074 |
| 1887 | 8,166 |
| 1888 | 9,299 |
| 1889 | 8,600 |
| 1890 | 8,558 |
| 1891 | 7,724 |
| 1892 | 9,093 |
| 1893 | 8,110 |
| 1894 | 8,297 |
| 1895 | 8,381 |
| 1896 | 8,188 |
| 1897 | 7,596 |
| 1898 | 8,214 |
| 1899 | 7,030 |
| 1900 | 9,874 |
| 1901 | 6,939 |
| 1902 | 7,945 |
| 1903 | 7,649 |
| 1904 | 8,148 |
| 1905 | 8,102 |
| 1906 | 8,307 |
| 1907 | 9,048 |
| 1908 | 9,401 |
| 1909 | 9,657 |
| 1910 | 11,538 |
| 1911 | 13,514 |
| 1912 | 24,700 |
| 1913 | 29,451 |
| 1914 | 38,116 |
| 1915 | 47,776 |
| 1916 | 50,270 |
| 1917 | 52,105 |
| 1918 | 56,806 |
| 1919 | 53,830 |
| 1920 | 57,194 |
| 1921 | 58,500 |
| 1922 | 57,566 |
| 1923 | 57,802 |
| 1924 | 59,434 |
| 1925 | 57,562 |
| 1926 | 56,493 |
| 1927 | 56,389 |
| 1928 | 54,185 |
| 1929 | 52,521 |
| 1930 | 52,849 |
| 1931 | 48,747 |
| 1932 | 48,923 |
| 1933 | 46,451 |
| 1934 | 46,999 |
| 1935 | 47,718 |
| 1936 | 47,882 |
| 1937 | 48,971 |
| 1938 | 50,734 |
| 1939 | 51,253 |
| 1940 | 54,992 |
| 1941 | 57,740 |
| 1942 | 66,282 |
| 1943 | 69,157 |
| 1944 | 66,791 |
| 1945 | 66,315 |
| 1946 | 79,474 |
| 1947 | 88,524 |
| 1948 | 83,024 |
| 1949 | 81,379 |
| 1950 | 79,592 |
| 1951 | 81,772 |
| 1952 | 83,335 |
| 1953 | 80,331 |
| 1954 | 81,361 |
| 1955 | 80,307 |
| 1956 | 81,030 |
| 1957 | 79,257 |
| 1958 | 76,254 |
| 1959 | 76,674 |
| 1960 | 76,328 |
| 1961 | 80,248 |
| 1962 | 78,706 |
| 1963 | 78,876 |
| 1964 | 82,783 |
| 1965 | 71,751 |
| 1966 | 65,299 |
| 1967 | 61,892 |
| 1968 | 61,209 |
| 1969 | 59,025 |
| 1970 | 58,786 |
| 1971 | 51,780 |
| 1972 | 43,386 |
| 1973 | 39,398 |
| 1974 | 37,872 |
| 1975 | 35,306 |
| 1976 | 34,189 |
| 1977 | 34,417 |
| 1978 | 34,240 |
| 1979 | 35,655 |
| 1980 | 35,528 |
| 1981 | 35,067 |
| 1982 | 34,941 |
| 1983 | 33,424 |
| 1984 | 32,849 |
| 1985 | 31,732 |
| 1986 | 30,428 |
| 1987 | 29,750 |
| 1988 | 29,590 |
| 1989 | 29,987 |
| 1990 | 29,171 |
| 1991 | 27,872 |
| 1992 | 26,311 |
| 1993 | 25,064 |
| 1994 | 24,234 |
| 1995 | 23,289 |
| 1996 | 22,223 |
| 1997 | 21,415 |
| 1998 | 20,658 |
| 1999 | 20,404 |
| 2000 | 20,140 |
| 2001 | 18,935 |
| 2002 | 17,497 |
| 2003 | 17,279 |
| 2004 | 16,538 |
| 2005 | 15,828 |
| 2006 | 15,211 |
| 2007 | 14,462 |
| 2008 | 13,357 |
| 2009 | 12,144 |
| 2010 | 11,577 |
| 2011 | 11,086 |
| 2012 | 10,646 |
| 2013 | 10,752 |
| 2014 | 10,713 |
| 2015 | 10,432 |
| 2016 | 10,067 |
| 2017 | 9,540 |
| 2018 | 9,212 |
| 2019 | 8,871 |
| 2020 | 8,271 |
| 2021 | 8,191 |
| 2022 | 8,000 |
| 2023 | 7,798 |
| 2024 | 8,055 |
John through the decades
- John peaked in 1947, when 88,524 babies were named John in the US.
- The 1950s were John's strongest decade, averaging 79,991 births a year.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of John has fallen 30% compared to the 10 years before that.
- John currently ranks #21 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
JohnnyJack
Variants & spellings
SeanIanJuan
Famous people named John
- John F. Kennedy — US president