John Name Meaning
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Learn more about the meaning, origin, and popularity of the name John.
Fact checked by Karen Cilli
John is an ever-popular name. It's a familiar and very traditional name with biblical origins. The name John is derived from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning “graced by God.” It is a solid, traditional name that exudes strength, responsibility, and kindness.
Origin: John is a biblical name, first appearing in its Hebrew form in the Old Testament. The New Testament, which was written in Greek, adapted the Hebrew name Yohanan as Ioannes. The name later became Johannes in Late Latin, which then became John in English.
Gender: Though John has been used predominantly as the masculine form of the name, girls have sometimes been called John or Johnnie. Feminine variants include Jackie, Jacqueline, Jana, Jane, Janet, Jeanne, Jeannie, Joan, Joanna, and Johanna.
Pronunciation: JON
Editor's Note
Although many baby names are separated by gender, Parents believes that sex does not need to play a role in your name selection process. It’s important to select a name that you feel suits your new baby the best.
How Popular Is the Name John?
John is one of the most popular names in the English-speaking world. It was the #1 name for boys in the United States from 1900 to 1923, and remained in the top five for another 50 years, dropping to #6 in 1973.
John continued to rank among the top 10 names for boys in America through 1986 and stayed in the top 20 until 2009. The 2023 statistics rank the name John as the 26th most popular name for boys in the United States.
Name Variations
As it is a biblical name, John has an equivalent in virtually every known language. Variations include:
Gianni or Giovanni (Italian)
Hans (Danish)
Ivan (Russian)
Jan (Dutch)
Janek (Polish)
Jean (French)
Johann (German)
Juan (Spanish)
Similar Names
People named Jonathan often use “Jon” (without an H) as a nickname, and since it's pronounced the same way, this is sometimes viewed as a variant spelling of John.
In fact, Jon/Jonathan is based on an entirely different name in the Bible: Jonathan derives from the Hebrew Yonatan (“given by God”), whereas John comes from Yohanan (“graced by God”).
Other boy names from the New Testament include:
Andrew
Luke
Mark
Matthew
Paul
Peter
Phillip
Thomas
Other boy names starting with "J" include:
Jacob
James
Jason
Jeremy
Jett
Jonah
Jonas
Joseph
Joshua
Juda
Julian
Common Nicknames for John
Jack or Jackie are frequent nicknames for John. For example, US President John F. Kennedy was known to his friends as Jack.
The name Jack is very common in English literature. It is often associated with naivete and youth, as in several Mother Goose nursery rhymes (“Jack and Jill,” “Little Jack Horner,” “Jack Be Nimble,” “Jack Sprat”), as well as the tale of “Jack and the Beanstalk.”
Another nickname, Johnny, also expresses youth but is associated with heroic figures such as Johnny Appleseed or Johnny Tremain.
Suggested Sibling Names
Anna
Charles
Daniel
Elizabeth
Emily
Frank
George
Henry
Mary
Rose
Sarah
Sophie
Violet
Famous People Named John
The best known Johns of the Bible are John the Baptist and John the Apostle, who is credited as the author of several books of the New Testament.
Although John has been a common name throughout English history, there was only one king of England called John: King John, who reigned from 1199 until his death in 1216.
John has been the name of several US presidents, including John Adams, John Tyler, and John F. Kennedy. Presidential hopefuls in recent US history have included Senators John Edwards, John McCain, and John Kerry.
Other famous Johns
John Quincy Adams, the 6th US president
John Denver, American folk and country singer
John Elway, Hall of Fame NFL quarterback
John Goodman, American actor
John Jay, first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
John Legend, American singer-songwriter
John Lennon, iconic English rock musician, songwriter, and member of The Beatles
John Malkovich, American actor
John Mulaney, American comedian and former writer for Saturday Night Live
John D. Rockefeller, American business tycoon
John Steinbeck, American novelist
John Travolta, American actor
Famous Johnnys
Johnny Appleseed, the nickname of American pioneer nurseryman John Chapman
Johnny Carson, American comedian and talk show host
Johnny Cash, American singer-songwriter
Johnny Lawrence, the fictional antagonist of The Karate Kid film series
Johnny Mercer, American songwriter
Johnny Rose, fictional character on the TV show Schitt's Creek
Famous Jacks
Jack Black, American actor
Jack Iverson, Australian cricketer
Jack Kemp, American politician
Jack Kerouac, American novelist
Jack Lemmon, American actor
Jack London, American author
Jack Nicholson, American actor
More Baby Names
Still searching for the perfect baby name? Check out these related baby name lists for even more options:
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Read the original article on Parents.