Pregnancy John Name Meaning Learn more about the meaning, origin, and popularity of the name John. By Wendy Wisner Published on May 13, 2024 Fact checked by Karen Cilli In This Article View All In This Article How Popular Is the Name John? Name Variations Similar Names Common Nicknames for John Suggested Sibling Names Famous People Named John Trending Videos Close this video player 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: AndrewLukeMarkMatthewPaulPeterPhillipThomas Other boy names starting with "J" include: JacobJamesJasonJeremyJettJonahJonasJosephJoshuaJudaJulian 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 AnnaCharlesDanielElizabethEmilyFrankGeorgeHenryMaryRoseSarahSophieViolet 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 presidentJohn Denver, American folk and country singerJohn Elway, Hall of Fame NFL quarterbackJohn Goodman, American actorJohn Jay, first Chief Justice of the Supreme CourtJohn Legend, American singer-songwriterJohn Lennon, iconic English rock musician, songwriter, and member of The BeatlesJohn Malkovich, American actorJohn Mulaney, American comedian and former writer for Saturday Night LiveJohn D. Rockefeller, American business tycoonJohn Steinbeck, American novelistJohn Travolta, American actor Famous Johnnys Johnny Appleseed, the nickname of American pioneer nurseryman John ChapmanJohnny Carson, American comedian and talk show hostJohnny Cash, American singer-songwriterJohnny Lawrence, the fictional antagonist of The Karate Kid film seriesJohnny Mercer, American songwriterJohnny Rose, fictional character on the TV show Schitt's Creek Famous Jacks Jack Black, American actorJack Iverson, Australian cricketerJack Kemp, American politicianJack Kerouac, American novelistJack Lemmon, American actorJack London, American authorJack Nicholson, American actor More Baby Names Still searching for the perfect baby name? Check out these related baby name lists for even more options: Top 1,000 Baby Boy Names 50 Vintage Baby Names 45 Gender-Neutral Baby Names Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! 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