John
John was the 23rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 8,027 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 1st; the most babies were born in 1947 (88,324). Over the last ten years it has moved up 3 places. More babies were named John in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning 'God is gracious' (Hebrew Yohanan) · Hebrew
Say it JAHN /ˈdʒɑn/
- Rank in 2025
- #23 boys, up 4 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 8,027boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 194788,324 babies
- Total since 1880
- 5,204,377babies recorded
What does the name John mean?
John comes through Latin Iohannes and Greek Iōannēs from Hebrew Yohanan, probably shortened from a longer form meaning 'God is gracious'. John the Baptist and John the Apostle made it one of the central Christian names, and twenty popes bore it. Jack began as a medieval pet form of John, and the feminine Jane and Gianna are forms of the same name.
יוֹחָנָן (Biblical Hebrew, “Yohanan”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God, names that mean grace.
Nicknames for John
The usual nicknames for John are Jack and Johnny. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named John in the last five years, 111 were named Jack, against 55 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack · Jack was a medieval pet form of John · also for Jackson | Traditional | #15 | 44,439 |
| Johnny · also for Jonathan | Traditional | #458 | 3,605 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Johns go by each one.
John popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 21,744 since 1880, 6 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #23 | 8,027 |
| 2020 | #27 | 8,265 |
| 2010 | #26 | 11,568 |
| 2000 | #14 | 20,115 |
| 1990 | #12 | 29,089 |
| 1980 | #8 | 35,274 |
| 1970 | #4 | 58,491 |
| 1960 | #4 | 76,096 |
| 1950 | #3 | 79,412 |
| 1940 | #3 | 54,786 |
| 1930 | #3 | 52,447 |
| 1920 | #1 | 56,913 |
| 1910 | #1 | 11,450 |
| 1900 | #1 | 9,828 |
| 1890 | #1 | 8,502 |
| 1880 | #1 | 9,655 |
How popular is John, counting every spelling?
John is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #24 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #23 for John on its own. Together these spellings went to 8,273 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| John | 8,027 | #23 | 40,105 |
| Jon | 246 | #951 | 1,307 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name John?
8,027 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named John (2.23 per 1,000 births). For a boy named John born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 24. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, a typical elementary school of 430 pupils would have about 1.0 children named John.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named John?
About 2,675,700 people born in the US named John are alive today, with a median age of 59; half are between 41 and 71. That makes John a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
John by state
How common John was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (3.1×), Alabama (3.0×), District of Columbia (2.6×), Wyoming (2.5×), Alaska (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, New Mexico, Arizona.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with John: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like John, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for John · Sibling names for John
Questions about the name John
What does John mean?
John means “'God is gracious' (Hebrew Yohanan)” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name John?
John was the 23rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 8,027 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 1st; the most babies were born in 1947 (88,324). Over the last ten years it has moved up 3 places. More babies were named John in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is John a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name John in the US.
Where is John most popular?
In 2021–2025, John was most common in Mississippi (14.31 per 1,000 boys), followed by Alabama and District of Columbia.