Johny
Johny was the 12894th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 5 babies. Its best year was 1905, when it ranked 727th; the most babies were born in 1929 (70). Over the last ten years it has moved down 9,157 places. More babies were named Johny in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Johnny) pet form of John ('God is gracious') · English, Hebrew
- Rank in 2025
- #12,894 boys, down 7,763 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 5boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 192970 babies
- Total since 1880
- 3,597babies recorded
What does the name Johny mean?
Johny is a spelling of Johnny, pronounced the same way, so it shares Johnny's meaning and origin.
Johnny is the familiar form of John, made with the -y ending. DMNES derives John from Hebrew Yohanan, "God is gracious" (literally "graced by God"), through Greek and Latin, and lists the Baptist, the Evangelist and many popes and kings. Johnny has long been used as an independent name in the US, for example by Johnny Cash.
יוֹחָנָן (Biblical Hebrew, “God is gracious”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: John, Jon, Jonny, Jack.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God, names that mean grace.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Johnny', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'John', DMNES, Durham University
Johny popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 26 since 1920.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #12,894 | 5 |
| 2020 | #5,131 | 18 |
| 2010 | #2,983 | 39 |
| 2000 | #3,115 | 28 |
| 1990 | #1,551 | 54 |
| 1980 | #3,505 | 12 |
| 1970 | #1,766 | 25 |
| 1960 | #1,540 | 28 |
| 1950 | #1,588 | 22 |
| 1940 | #1,081 | 37 |
| 1930 | #967 | 49 |
| 1920 | #1,011 | 47 |
| 1910 | #1,507 | 6 |
| 1900 | #1,109 | 7 |
| 1890 | #945 | 6 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Johny, counting every spelling?
Johny is a spelling of Johnny, a name family that ranked #448 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #12,894 for Johny on its own. Together these spellings went to 697 boys in 2025.
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 Johny?
5 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Johny (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Johny born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1,661 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Johny.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Johny?
About 2,000 people born in the US named Johny are alive today, with a median age of 35; half are between 21 and 59. That makes Johny mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Johny: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Johny, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Johny
What does Johny mean?
Johny is a spelling of Johnny, which means “pet form of John ('God is gracious')” (English, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Johny?
Johny was the 12894th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 5 babies. Its best year was 1905, when it ranked 727th; the most babies were born in 1929 (70). Over the last ten years it has moved down 9,157 places. More babies were named Johny in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Johny a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Johny in the US.