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Johan as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Johan

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The baby name Johan is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced English: /ˈdʒoʊ.hən/ (JOH-hən); Scandinavian/Dutch: /ˈjoː.hɑn/ or /ˈjuː.hɑn/ (YO-hahn / YOO-hahn).

Johan is Hebrew in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: English: /ˈdʒoʊ.hən/ (JOH-hən); Scandinavian/Dutch: /ˈjoː.hɑn/ or /ˈjuː.hɑn/ (YO-hahn / YOO-hahn)

What is the meaning of the name Johan ?

The baby name Johan is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced English: /ˈdʒoʊ.hən/ (JOH-hən); Scandinavian/Dutch: /ˈjoː.hɑn/ or /ˈjuː.hɑn/ (YO-hahn / YOO-hahn).

Johan is Hebrew in Origin.

Johan is a Germanic and Nordic form of Johannes, ultimately from Latin Iohannes and Greek Ioannes, which trace to Hebrew Yochanan/Yehohanan, “Yahweh is gracious.” Used as an independent given name in the Low Countries, Scandinavia, Germany, and Afrikaans-speaking South Africa, it entered widespread use through medieval Christian naming traditions and retained steady popularity into modern times. In Dutch and Swedish records the single-n spelling is common, while German sources more often show Johann; both stand alongside the longer liturgical Johannes.

Close variants and cognates include Johann, Johannes, Jan, Jon, Hans, Hannes, Juhan (Estonian), Ioan, Ivan, Juan, João, Jean, Giovanni, John, Ian, and Seán/Sean. Nicknames may be Jo, Hans, or Hannes depending on language. Notable bearers range from Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff and historian Johan Huizinga to Norwegian composer Johan Svendsen and Swedish king Johan III, underscoring the name’s pan-European heritage and enduring meaning of divine favor.

Johan has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Johan

Jan van Riebeeck Politician · Born 1619 Johan Anthoniszoon van Riebeeck is best known as the first Commander of the Cape, serving from 1652 to 1662. He was a Dutch merchant and colonial administrator who played a central role in establishing the Dutch settlement at the Cape. Johan de Witt Politician · Born 1625 · Dutch Republic Johan de Witt is best known as a leading Dutch statesman of the Dutch Golden Age. He served as Grand Pensionary of Holland and, with his uncle Cornelis de Graeff, helped control Dutch politics from around 1650 until the Disaster Year of 1672, when the Netherlands was shaken by war and crisis. Johan Rudolph Thorbecke Politician · Born 1798 · Kingdom of the Netherlands Johan Rudolph Thorbecke was a Dutch liberal statesman best known for leading the commission that rewrote the Constitution of the Netherlands in 1848 during the wave of democratic revolutions across Europe. He was one of the most influential Dutch politicians of the 19th century.
Johan Leysen Actor · Born 1950 · Belgium Johan Leysen was a Belgian actor best known for his work in European film and television. Over a career that began in 1977, he appeared in more than 130 productions, including The American, Brotherhood of the Wolf, and The Spiral.

Johan – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2025 #1 — 836
ZA 0 #1 1,722 14,421
FJ 0 #6 1 374
NA 0 #7 32 2,537
ZA Boys 0 #9 19,045 25,619
NL Boys 0 #12 16,433 5,873
BW 0 #18 2 960
HN 0 #22 1 704
ID 0 #26 14 2,238
KR Boys 0 #26 2 897
SV Boys 0 #28 1 352
NL 0 #29 764 2,481
BN 0 #31 2 2,297
Norway Boys 2025 #33 175 444
BI Girls 0 #33 1 726
HT Boys 0 #34 1 903
MV Girls 0 #35 1 2,021
EE 0 #36 2 1,051
NL Boys 2014 #37 57 79
ID Boys 0 #37 115 4,130
NA Boys 0 #39 345 6,830
MT 0 #40 4 1,767
HN Boys 0 #47 6 749
PR 0 #54 2 1,497
CO Boys 0 #59 24,557 15,656
LU 0 #64 3 2,830
AL 0 #75 2 2,372
AZ Girls 0 #75 1 1,051
AF 0 #76 1 1,883
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
MV Boys 0 #77 3 3,375
MD Boys 0 #81 1 756
BG 0 #82 1 1,799
CN 0 #84 3 3,857
LT 0 #88 1 949
CR Boys 0 #90 1,393 10,188
JM 0 #93 1 3,714
DK Boys 0 #95 475 7,401
TW 0 #98 6 4,523
ID Girls 0 #101 2 3,319
SD 0 #102 1 2,130
QA 0 #104 3 7,011
EC 0 #105 11 2,502
PA 0 #107 24 3,797
PH 0 #108 3 5,607
GE Boys 0 #109 2 2,055
EE Boys 0 #111 15 2,087
BN Girls 0 #112 3 5,459
BN Boys 0 #113 21 6,332
OM 0 #114 8 6,215
CO 0 #118 968 7,768
DK 0 #118 95 5,198
KW 0 #119 3 5,216
Finland Boys 0 #120 797 2,041
Finland Boys 2026 #121 4,387 3,552
CR 0 #128 31 5,526
CY Boys 0 #130 2 3,473
IQ 0 #132 2 3,533
MU 0 #132 6 3,613
Switzerland Boys 2024 #133 5 1,769
PA Boys 0 #134 763 9,305
EC Boys 0 #138 125 3,322
MT Boys 0 #138 40 4,064
BW Boys 0 #146 9 4,685
PR Girls 0 #146 16 3,171
PR Boys 0 #148 27 2,508
LT Boys 0 #151 1 2,166
RS Boys 0 #151 4 2,277
MT Girls 0 #153 1 3,773
HU Boys 0 #166 9 3,954
PE Boys 0 #166 3,300 14,506
CL Boys 0 #171 2,123 13,390
Sweden Boys 2022 #172 11 1,509
AE 0 #180 8 10,220
UY 0 #181 2 2,477
CZ 0 #183 4 3,154
LU Boys 0 #188 31 4,970
LU Girls 0 #190 1 4,850
AR 0 #193 1 2,915
RU 0 #194 1 3,641
LT Girls 0 #200 1 1,904
Finland 0 #201 117 830
France Boys 2021 #204 213 2,865
SI Boys 0 #204 8 3,402
Belgium Boys 2011 #206 22 411
TW Boys 0 #208 34 7,111
PL 0 #212 1 2,600
PE 0 #216 96 6,350
BG Boys 0 #220 1 3,850
MY Boys 0 #223 2,039 25,439
AL Girls 0 #226 2 4,141
PS 0 #226 1 5,692
MO Boys 0 #228 7 5,842
IR 0 #230 2 4,221
NA Girls 0 #230 8 7,146
MX Boys 0 #231 2,536 16,355
BD 0 #234 8 5,992
CZ Boys 0 #245 60 6,530
GH 0 #248 1 5,396
PT 0 #248 3 4,161
SG 0 #248 22 11,010
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
HR Boys 0 #253 7 3,997
EC Girls 0 #254 5 3,650
GR Boys 0 #255 13 6,912
MY 0 #257 74 12,352
UY Boys 0 #259 169 5,922
AL Boys 0 #260 39 5,122
MO Girls 0 #262 2 7,056
AF Boys 0 #267 8 3,535
Canada Boys 2024 #272 35 2,588
NG 0 #272 1 5,926
JM Girls 0 #277 2 7,507
IL 0 #280 3 6,291
JP Boys 0 #283 15 7,909
TW Girls 0 #286 4 8,139
JM Boys 0 #290 4 6,876
KZ Boys 0 #292 5 6,578
GT 0 #302 13 5,948
SA 0 #304 9 10,560
CN Boys 0 #306 14 9,639
PL Boys 0 #308 28 6,459
MU Boys 0 #312 46 8,477
BO Boys 0 #320 373 9,244
CL 0 #328 85 6,867
DK Girls 0 #328 2 7,429
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
GT Boys 0 #335 144 7,625
GH Girls 0 #337 1 6,973
JO Girls 0 #338 2 7,570
QA Girls 0 #340 4 15,378
BO 0 #346 36 6,868
CZ Girls 0 #348 4 5,378
PH Boys 0 #349 35 11,440
PT Boys 0 #352 16 7,951
BR 0 #355 6 5,969
HK 0 #355 3 8,483
SD Girls 0 #356 3 7,678
MU Girls 0 #360 3 8,539
PL Girls 0 #363 2 5,096
YE 0 #363 19 8,639
MX 0 #373 41 8,339
JO Boys 0 #384 6 7,057
OM Girls 0 #384 13 15,987
France Girls 2003 #389 3 2,806
Austria Boys 0 #397 46 2,180
Spain 0 #400 53 2,326
BD Girls 0 #401 6 8,413
AR Boys 0 #402 66 7,628
EG 0 #409 4 6,387
PA Girls 0 #412 70 9,861
Germany 0 #417 21 2,542
SD Boys 0 #418 28 10,523
PH Girls 0 #424 6 13,098
Spain Boys 0 #430 697 5,610
SG Boys 0 #447 258 17,960
United States Boys 2024 #453 554 7,044
RU Boys 0 #466 40 12,621
CM Boys 0 #474 77 12,054
IR Boys 0 #479 74 10,162
BD Boys 0 #487 90 10,045
GT Girls 0 #494 12 7,500
HK Boys 0 #496 32 12,905
KW Girls 0 #498 18 19,177
IQ Girls 0 #517 9 11,303
BH 0 #522 32 17,937
RU Girls 0 #522 2 11,913
LY 0 #525 11 12,703
PS Boys 0 #534 15 10,655
UY Girls 0 #536 1 6,731
AE Girls 0 #541 13 20,968
IR Girls 0 #541 5 8,334
PS Girls 0 #545 3 10,981
CM Girls 0 #553 8 11,671
CR Girls 0 #565 9 11,342
SG Girls 0 #575 12 18,916
IL Boys 0 #587 21 10,983
IQ Boys 0 #618 50 13,071
AR Girls 0 #630 1 8,289
QA Boys 0 #630 78 18,093
BO Girls 0 #645 7 9,488
IL Girls 0 #645 1 11,648
HK Girls 0 #647 4 16,104
IN Girls 0 #647 8 13,121
LB 0 #649 10 13,263
BR Boys 0 #674 78 12,213
IT 0 #693 22 4,183
KW Boys 0 #696 74 18,755
SY 0 #712 17 11,684
Germany Boys 0 #752 201 5,697
TN 0 #790 40 13,765
CL Girls 0 #816 36 14,098
NG Girls 0 #819 8 15,093
OM Boys 0 #821 61 17,948
EG Boys 0 #842 45 15,035
NL Girls 0 #847 109 5,933
CO Girls 0 #878 203 16,140
SA Girls 0 #892 44 25,931
PE Girls 0 #897 47 14,861
IN Boys 0 #903 99 16,750
AE Boys 0 #906 187 22,615
MY Girls 0 #911 84 24,821
NG Boys 0 #932 20 16,906
United States Girls 2007 #951 6 10,181
MA 0 #957 172 20,986
ZA Girls 0 #972 170 25,928
Spain Girls 0 #973 11 5,561
BR Girls 0 #992 1 12,708
EG Girls 0 #1,002 8 14,742
IT Boys 0 #1,084 395 10,046
DZ 0 #1,106 71 20,130
MX Girls 0 #1,122 62 17,781
TR 0 #1,174 38 19,440
SA Boys 0 #1,300 316 28,008
IT Girls 0 #1,434 13 9,415

Johan is popular in 97 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Norway
NL
Canada
Switzerland

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Johan

Johan is predominantly a boy's name.
Johan is a 2 syllable name, pronounced English: /ˈdʒoʊ.hən/ (JOH-hən); Scandinavian/Dutch: /ˈjoː.hɑn/ or /ˈjuː.hɑn/ (YO-hahn / YOO-hahn).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Johann, Johannes, Jóhann, Jóhan, Johaan and Joahn.
Across languages, Johan has these equivalents: John (English), Juan (Spanish), Jean (French), Giovanni (Italian), Ivan (Russian), and 6 more.
Yes, very popular — Johan ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 11 countries.
Johan ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Johan's popularity is declining significantly. It moved from #122 in 2011 to #204 in 2021 in France.
Yes — 4 notable people named Johan are in our database, including Jan van Riebeeck (Politician), Johan de Witt (Politician), Johan Rudolph Thorbecke (Politician).