John Name: Complete Etymology, Meaning & Popularity Analysis

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Summary

The name John has Hebrew origins, meaning 'Yahweh is gracious.' It evolved through various languages, maintaining its significance in Christian tradition. The name is associated with traits of reliability and tradition, and it has a strong biblical relevance through figures such as John the Baptist. John has remained a popular choice throughout history, with variants like Johnny and Juan reflecting its widespread use.

The name John is most popular in Massachusetts, USA across all generations. It ranks highest as a Boy name among the G.I. Generation generation in the Northeast region. Recent 3-year trends show this Girl name is maintaining steady popularity, while the 25-year trend indicates it has been relatively stable. Recent 3-year trends show this Boy name is declining in usage, while the 25-year trend indicates it has been gradually declining. From 2020-2022, John has been falling for male in MidWest, stalled for female in MidWest, too falling for male in Northeast, stalled for female in Northeast, too falling for male in South, stalled for female in South, too falling for male in West, stalled for female in West. The long-term 25-year analysis reveals it has been too rising for male in MidWest, stalled for female in MidWest, too rising for male in Northeast, stalled for female in Northeast, too rising for male in South, stalled for female in South, too rising for male in West, stalled for female in West. Across generations, 'John' has shown interesting popularity patterns: Among the G.I. Generation (1901-1927), it ranked 1st out of 7545 names. Among the Silent Generation (1928-1945), it ranked 3rd out of 6773 names. Among the Baby Boomers (1946-1964), it ranked 3rd out of 7552 names. Among the Generation X (Gen X) (1965-1980), it ranked 4th out of 10718 names. Among the Millennials (Gen Y) (1981-1996), it ranked 9th out of 16616 names. Among the Generation Z (Gen Z or Zoomers) (1997-2012), it ranked 18th out of 24088 names. Among the Generation Alpha (2013-2024), it ranked 24th out of 23106 names. Among the G.I. Generation (1901-1927), it ranked 399th out of 9107 names. Among the Silent Generation (1928-1945), it ranked 435th out of 9204 names. Among the Baby Boomers (1946-1964), it ranked 646th out of 12526 names. Among the Generation X (Gen X) (1965-1980), it ranked 644th out of 19264 names. Among the Millennials (Gen Y) (1981-1996), it ranked 1154th out of 27321 names. Among the Generation Z (Gen Z or Zoomers) (1997-2012), it ranked 4771st out of 35406 names. Among the Generation Alpha (2013-2024), it ranked 9484th out of 30306 names. Discover how the name 'John' has evolved through American history with our comprehensive regional and generational analysis.

Etymology & Cultural Background of "John"

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Pronunciation

/dʒɒn/

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Origin

Hebrew

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Etymology

The name John is derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan, which means 'Yahweh is gracious.' It was popularized through the New Testament in the Christian tradition.

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Meaning

Yahweh is gracious

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Language Evolution

Yochanan (Hebrew), Ioannes (Greek), Iohannes (Latin), John (English)

Biblical Background

The name appears multiple times in the Bible, notably referring to John the Baptist and the Apostle John.

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Historical Usage

John has been a popular name in Christian communities since the early centuries of the church, particularly due to its biblical associations.

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Variants & Derivatives

Johnny, Jon, Jack, Johann, Juan

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Modern Popularity & Image

John remains a classic name, often associated with reliability and tradition, and it is widely used in many cultures around the world.

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Famous People

John Locke (philosopher), John F. Kennedy (U.S. President), John Lennon (musician), John Steinbeck (author)

Explore More John Name Visualizations

Historical Birth Statistics for the Name "John"

Note: Years with identical rankings may represent different numbers of births. Data is sourced from Social Security card applications for births in the United States.

Yearly Ranking History of "John"

"John" Popularity Across American Generations

Generation Gender Rank Total Names
G.I. Generation (1901-1927) Boy 1st of 7545 909,254
Silent Generation (1928-1945) Boy 3rd of 6773 973,818
Baby Boomers (1946-1964) Boy 3rd of 7552 1,525,130
Generation X (Gen X) (1965-1980) Boy 4th of 10718 755,673
Millennials (Gen Y) (1981-1996) Boy 9th of 16616 463,649
Generation Z (Gen Z or Zoomers) (1997-2012) Boy 18th of 24088 256,732
Generation Alpha (2013-2024) Boy 24th of 23106 109,773
G.I. Generation (1901-1927) Girl 399th of 9107 4,988
Silent Generation (1928-1945) Girl 435th of 9204 4,692
Baby Boomers (1946-1964) Girl 646th of 12526 4,125
Generation X (Gen X) (1965-1980) Girl 644th of 19264 4,060
Millennials (Gen Y) (1981-1996) Girl 1154th of 27321 2,283
Generation Z (Gen Z or Zoomers) (1997-2012) Girl 4771st of 35406 445
Generation Alpha (2013-2024) Girl 9484th of 30306 129

Regional Popularity of "John" by Generation for Male Names

TOP(%) MidWest Northeast South West
G.I. Generation
(1901-1927)
0.14%
2nd/1416
0.07%
1st/1379
0.13%
3rd/2366
0.18%
2nd/1142
Silent Generation
(1928-1945)
0.19%
3rd/1546
0.13%
2nd/1556
0.17%
4th/2353
0.13%
2nd/1547
Baby Boomers
(1946-1964)
0.18%
4th/2227
0.04%
1st/2430
0.11%
3rd/2853
0.14%
4th/2775
Generation X (Gen X)
(1965-1980)
0.14%
4th/2937
0.06%
2nd/3483
0.11%
4th/3518
0.10%
4th/4044
Millennials (Gen Y)
(1981-1996)
0.41%
15th/3685
0.16%
7th/4475
0.13%
7th/5194
0.25%
16th/6317
Generation Z (Gen Z or Zoomers)
(1997-2012)
0.52%
24th/4582
0.21%
11th/5164
0.11%
8th/7313
0.48%
36th/7463
Generation Alpha
(2013-2024)
0.78%
31st/3984
0.42%
19th/4487
0.19%
13th/6822
0.89%
56th/6276

Regional Popularity of "John" by Generation for Female Names

TOP(%) MidWest Northeast South West
G.I. Generation
(1901-1927)
26.98%
382nd/1416
21.54%
297th/1379
17.08%
404th/2366
65.32%
746th/1142
Silent Generation
(1928-1945)
26.97%
417th/1546
20.82%
324th/1556
18.36%
432nd/2353
39.37%
609th/1547
Baby Boomers
(1946-1964)
29.23%
651st/2227
22.51%
547th/2430
21.84%
623rd/2853
29.77%
826th/2775
Generation X (Gen X)
(1965-1980)
22.37%
657th/2937
16.25%
566th/3483
18.33%
645th/3518
19.41%
785th/4044
Millennials (Gen Y)
(1981-1996)
31.45%
1159th/3685
23.06%
1032nd/4475
20.12%
1045th/5194
21.12%
1334th/6317
Generation Z (Gen Z or Zoomers)
(1997-2012)
- 70.45%
3638th/5164
56.88%
4160th/7313
78.60%
5866th/7463
Generation Alpha
(2013-2024)
- - - -

State-by-State Popularity of "John"

This map shows the relative popularity of "John" across states, calculated by dividing the number of births with this name in each state by the total births in that state. This methodology provides a standardized measure of popularity regardless of state population size.