John

Primarily a boy's name · 100% boys

Meaning

John is a very common given male name in the English language, ultimately of Hebrew origin. The English form is from Middle English Ioon, Ihon, Iohn, Jan, itself from Old French Jan, Jean, Jehan, from Medieval Latin Johannes, an altered form of Late Latin Ioannes.

From Wikipedia

John first appears in the data in 1991 and has been recorded in 34 different years as a boy's name. Its single biggest year was 1991 with 1,336 babies (rank #33 that year). In 2024 it was given to 376 boys (rank #73). The name has been declining over the last five years.

Numerology of John

In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of John yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.

2Destiny numberThe peacemakerDiplomatic, sensitive, partnership-minded.Sum of every letter. The overall character a name carries.
6Soul urgeThe carerNurturing, responsible, family at the centre.Sum of the vowels — what's said to drive the heart.
5PersonalityThe free spiritCurious, restless, energised by change.Sum of the consonants — the outer impression.

23,935

Total babies (all years)

Years in the data

1,336

Peak in a single year

Popularity Over Time — Boys

Also a character in

In Bible: John the Baptist; John the Evangelist
In Sherlock Holmes: Dr John Watson — Holmes' friend and chronicler
In Little Women: John Brooke — Meg's husband
In Peaky Blinders: John Shelby — the middle brother
In Yellowstone: John Dutton — the patriarch

Famous people named John

John F. Kennedyanti-communist · b. 1917
John Lockephilosopher of law · b. 1632
John Adamspolitical philosopher · b. 1735
John Maynard Keynesnon-fiction writer · b. 1883
John Lennonpop singer · b. 1940

More popular boys' names

Names ranked near John in 2024

Other boys' names starting with J

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1991	1,336	#33
1992	1,277	#34
1993	1,172	#40
1994	1,050	#38
1995	1,038	#44
1996	1,038	#39
1997	940	#39
1998	916	#40
1999	904	#41
2000	791	#42
2001	775	#45
2002	717	#50
2003	674	#48
2004	667	#52
2005	660	#53
2006	629	#59
2007	623	#58
2008	587	#65
2009	589	#63
2010	573	#61
2011	552	#62
2012	538	#65
2013	556	#60
2014	620	#55
2015	579	#58
2016	568	#60
2017	551	#58
2018	516	#59
2019	443	#73
2020	474	#63
2021	442	#74
2022	378	#79
2023	368	#73
2024	376	#73