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John as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of John

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The baby name John is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /dʒɑn/ (US), /dʒɒn/ (UK); respelling: 'JON'.

John is Hebrew in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 1.0
Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: /dʒɑn/ (US), /dʒɒn/ (UK); respelling: 'JON'

What is the meaning of the name John ?

The baby name John is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /dʒɑn/ (US), /dʒɒn/ (UK); respelling: 'JON'.

John is Hebrew in Origin.

John stems from Hebrew Yochanan/Yehochanan, meaning “Yahweh is gracious” or “God has shown favor.” It passed into Greek as Ioannes and Latin as Iohannes, then entered English through church Latin and Norman French. Medieval records show Iohannes, Johan, and finally John, which became the settled Middle English form.

Anchored by New Testament figures John the Baptist and John the Apostle/Evangelist, the name spread across Christendom, yielding innumerable saints, several popes, and England’s King John. It dominated English naming from the Middle Ages into the 20th century and remains a durable classic. International variants include Jean (French), Juan (Spanish), Giovanni (Italian), João (Portuguese), Johann/Johannes (German), Johan (Scandinavian), Jan (Dutch/Slavic), Ivan (Slavic), Ioan (Welsh/Romanian), Ian/Iain (Scottish), Seán/Sean and Shane (Irish), Jón (Icelandic), and Jovan (South Slavic). Common English forms and diminutives are Jon, Johnny, and Jack; feminine counterparts include Jane, Joan, Joanna, Jeanne, and Ivana.

John has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name John

John F. Kennedy Politician · Born 1917 · United States John F. Kennedy, often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He is most famous for his leadership during the Cuban Missile Crisis and for his inspiring speeches, including his inaugural address where he urged Americans to 'ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.' John Locke Politician · Born 1632 · Kingdom of England John Locke was a philosopher from the Kingdom of England, born in 1632, and is most famous for his work in political philosophy. His ideas on natural rights and government influenced the development of modern democracy, particularly through his book 'Two Treatises of Government'. John Paul II Politician · Born 1920 · Poland John Paul II was the Pope of the Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005, making him one of the most influential religious leaders of the 20th century. Born in Poland, he played a significant role in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and was known for his extensive travels and outreach to people of different faiths.
John Adams Politician · Born 1735 · United States John Adams was the second President of the United States, serving from 1797 to 1801. He played a key role in the American Revolution and was a leading advocate for independence. Adams also helped draft the Declaration of Independence and was a prominent figure in early American politics. John Maynard Keynes Politician · Born 1883 · United Kingdom John Maynard Keynes was a British economist best known for his revolutionary ideas that transformed economic policies and practices. His most famous work, 'The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money,' laid the foundation for modern macroeconomics and influenced government fiscal policies worldwide. John Lennon Actor · Born 1940 · United Kingdom John Lennon was a British musician and a member of The Beatles, one of the most famous bands in history. He is best known for songs like 'Imagine', 'Strawberry Fields Forever', and 'Come Together'. Born in 1940 in the United Kingdom, he became a cultural icon and peace activist.

Celebrity babies named John

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
John Lennon III Yoko Ono singer John Lennon film director
John Ono Lennon Yoko Ono singer John Lennon film director
John Sidney McCain IV John McCain television presenter
John Carter Cash June Carter Cash television actor Johnny Cash rapper
John Frederick William Herschel William Herschel musician
John David Washington Denzel Washington film director
John F. Kennedy Jr. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis model
John Kelley Michelle Pfeiffer television actor David E. Kelley film producer
John Hewson Bono rapper
John Buffalo Mailer Norris Church Mailer model Norman Mailer film director
John Gardner Ford Betty Ford model
John Stacy Keach Jane Seymour television actor James Keach film director
John Henson Jim Henson film director
John Maynard Brian Jones singer
John Jürgens Udo Jürgens singer
John Owen Lowe Rob Lowe film director
John Lawrence Markle Mercedes McCambridge television actor
John Huston Walter Huston singer
John Newman Randy Newman singer
John F. Kennedy Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. film producer
John Edward Thomas Moynahan Bridget Moynahan television actor

John – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2025 #1 836
Germany Boys 2025 #1 423
FJ 0 #1 9 374
NA 0 #1 48 2,537
FJ Boys 0 #2 20 603
NA Boys 0 #2 1,459 6,830
PH Boys 0 #2 3,034 11,440
ZA Boys 0 #2 25,643 25,619
MT Boys 0 #3 775 4,064
NG 0 #5 793 5,926
NG Boys 0 #5 33,424 16,906
PH 0 #5 155 5,607
SG Boys 0 #5 5,943 17,960
ET 0 #6 1 246
MT 0 #7 44 1,767
NL Boys 0 #7 20,130 5,873
KR 0 #8 1 201
CN 0 #9 103 3,857
KH Boys 0 #9 1 270
ZA 0 #9 1,122 14,421
BW Boys 0 #10 337 4,685
CN Boys 0 #10 1,421 9,639
NL 0 #10 1,005 2,481
SG 0 #10 520 11,010
BN Boys 0 #11 244 6,332
GH Boys 0 #11 4,220 8,138
MO Boys 0 #11 505 5,842
GH 0 #12 753 5,396
GR Boys 0 #13 1,907 6,912
JM 0 #14 96 3,714
KR Boys 0 #14 14 897
BW 0 #15 5 960
MY Boys 0 #15 12,565 25,439
ET Girls 0 #16 1 372
QA 0 #16 113 7,011
MV Boys 0 #18 85 3,375
GR 0 #19 294 3,911
AE 0 #20 252 10,220
ET Boys 0 #20 8 678
United States Boys 2024 #21 8,047 7,044
CY Boys 0 #21 262 3,473
HN 0 #21 2 704
TW Boys 0 #22 566 7,111
HT Boys 0 #23 12 903
BN 0 #24 9 2,297
JM Boys 0 #24 761 6,876
BF Boys 0 #25 2 439
MO 0 #27 26 2,706
BI Boys 0 #28 16 917
DJ Girls 0 #29 1 488
HK Boys 0 #29 4,110 12,905
ID 0 #30 10 2,238
DJ Boys 0 #31 6 657
DK Boys 0 #31 1,720 7,401
MY 0 #32 519 12,352
TM Boys 0 #32 5 614
CY 0 #33 27 1,632
MD 0 #33 2 434
OM 0 #33 102 6,215
MV Girls 0 #34 2 2,021
CM 0 #35 21 2,592
JP 0 #35 44 4,057
CR 0 #36 156 5,526
EE 0 #36 2 1,051
KW 0 #38 85 5,216
ID Boys 0 #40 110 4,130
GE 0 #41 4 997
QA Boys 0 #41 2,504 18,093
CO 0 #42 2,610 7,768
PR 0 #45 11 1,497
TW 0 #45 57 4,523
NL Boys 2014 #47 26 79
PR Boys 0 #48 209 2,508
AO 0 #49 28 2,729
HN Boys 0 #49 4 749
New Zealand Boys 2010 #50 91 99
LU 0 #51 16 2,830
IN 0 #52 19 2,963
SD Boys 0 #54 1,572 10,523
KW Boys 0 #55 2,809 18,755
LU Boys 0 #57 264 4,970
CO Boys 0 #60 23,845 15,656
AL 0 #62 14 2,372
Iceland Boys 0 #62 12 131
AF 0 #64 13 1,883
BH 0 #64 1,108 17,937
CM Boys 0 #68 1,745 12,054
DK 0 #69 194 5,198
MD Boys 0 #69 12 756
Canada Boys 2024 #71 376 2,588
CR Boys 0 #72 1,868 10,188
PA 0 #72 60 3,797
AE Boys 0 #75 5,213 22,615
Sweden Boys 2022 #77 128 1,509
AO Boys 0 #78 241 5,568
BG 0 #78 5 1,799
HK 0 #79 419 8,483
SD 0 #80 21 2,130
RS 0 #82 3 923
RU Boys 0 #84 1,805 12,621
SA 0 #84 275 10,560
JP Boys 0 #85 291 7,909
KZ 0 #87 8 1,452
MU Boys 0 #90 423 8,477
AF Girls 0 #92 3 2,402
EC 0 #93 23 2,502
OM Boys 0 #94 2,775 17,948
BN Girls 0 #97 10 5,459
EC Boys 0 #97 262 3,322
Switzerland Boys 2024 #98 40 1,769
GE Boys 0 #99 11 2,055
IQ 0 #101 29 3,533
EE Boys 0 #103 23 2,087
HU Boys 0 #103 86 3,954
Norway Boys 2025 #104 32 444
PE Boys 0 #105 5,763 14,506
CZ Boys 0 #106 369 6,530
GE Girls 0 #106 3 1,564
KZ Boys 0 #107 285 6,578
EG Boys 0 #110 8,046 15,035
HU 0 #111 5 1,675
PA Boys 0 #111 977 9,305
CL Boys 0 #115 3,830 13,390
MU 0 #116 21 3,613
LT Boys 0 #121 30 2,166
CY Girls 0 #123 3 3,755
PE 0 #124 227 6,350
AZ Boys 0 #126 6 1,400
RS Boys 0 #129 26 2,277
MT Girls 0 #131 21 3,773
PL Boys 0 #131 420 6,459
NG Girls 0 #133 2,653 15,093
JO 0 #134 7 2,158
BW Girls 0 #137 12 4,216
RS Girls 0 #137 1 1,651
PT Boys 0 #138 425 7,951
HR Boys 0 #144 149 3,997
RU 0 #144 46 3,641
EG 0 #148 502 6,387
SA Boys 0 #151 8,223 28,008
CZ 0 #152 34 3,154
BG Boys 0 #153 69 3,850
Finland Boys 0 #156 492 2,041
BD 0 #160 69 5,992
UY 0 #161 17 2,477
Spain Boys 0 #163 3,222 5,610
Germany Boys 0 #165 3,004 5,697
HR 0 #168 12 2,081
SI Boys 0 #170 40 3,402
AR 0 #177 10 2,915
SI Girls 0 #177 1 2,769
UY Boys 0 #178 426 5,922
Austria 0 #180 34 850
AL Boys 0 #181 124 5,122
Austria Boys 0 #182 376 2,180
BR Boys 0 #182 2,057 12,213
LU Girls 0 #186 5 4,850
JO Boys 0 #187 281 7,057
PS 0 #187 32 5,692
Finland Boys 2026 #189 2,065 3,552
IQ Boys 0 #190 1,004 13,071
PS Boys 0 #190 600 10,655
PL 0 #193 20 2,600
Belgium Boys 2015 #194 25 406
IR 0 #194 36 4,221
BO Boys 0 #199 879 9,244
LT Girls 0 #199 2 1,904
NA Girls 0 #200 25 7,146
IN Boys 0 #203 2,062 16,750
AF Boys 0 #205 67 3,535
PT 0 #211 36 4,161
AO Girls 0 #214 4 4,575
LY 0 #215 437 12,703
YE 0 #217 189 8,639
GR Girls 0 #221 22 6,293
AL Girls 0 #222 6 4,141
CL 0 #222 225 6,867
IL Boys 0 #224 623 10,983
IT Boys 0 #224 6,868 10,046
HU Girls 0 #225 1 3,308
MO Girls 0 #226 26 7,056
Spain 0 #228 274 2,326
GH Girls 0 #229 105 6,973
IR Boys 0 #231 553 10,162
JM Girls 0 #234 26 7,507
Germany 0 #235 233 2,542
IL 0 #236 39 6,291
QA Girls 0 #244 73 15,378
BD Boys 0 #245 497 10,045
GT Boys 0 #246 302 7,625
JP Girls 0 #248 4 6,592
MX Boys 0 #248 2,245 16,355
LB 0 #253 624 13,263
EC Girls 0 #258 1 3,650
BR 0 #268 79 5,969
Finland 0 #269 39 830
GT 0 #272 43 5,948
BO 0 #282 100 6,868
TW Girls 0 #282 8 8,139
HR Girls 0 #291 4 3,687
SD Girls 0 #294 52 7,678
PH Girls 0 #297 95 13,098
AR Boys 0 #303 185 7,628
DK Girls 0 #306 11 7,429
Canada Girls 1992 #309 5 2,320
KZ Girls 0 #311 10 5,862
JO Girls 0 #312 14 7,570
France Boys 2021 #313 76 2,865
OM Girls 0 #315 82 15,987
CN Girls 0 #322 28 8,829
MX 0 #338 76 8,339
MU Girls 0 #339 13 8,539
PL Girls 0 #340 15 5,096
CZ Girls 0 #344 8 5,378
IT 0 #351 530 4,183
BD Girls 0 #375 12 8,413
KW Girls 0 #375 141 19,177
SY 0 #380 432 11,684
AE Girls 0 #403 151 20,968
Austria Girls 0 #406 15 1,885
SG Girls 0 #423 166 18,916
RU Girls 0 #435 64 11,913
IQ Girls 0 #440 65 11,303
PA Girls 0 #466 16 9,861
PT Girls 0 #467 5 7,952
CM Girls 0 #473 68 11,671
MA 0 #490 1,030 20,986
PS Girls 0 #492 32 10,981
DZ 0 #494 1,022 20,130
CR Girls 0 #510 23 11,342
HK Girls 0 #511 105 16,104
IR Girls 0 #512 19 8,334
TN 0 #519 362 13,765
UY Girls 0 #533 4 6,731
GT Girls 0 #538 4 7,500
ZA Girls 0 #551 815 25,928
IN Girls 0 #569 63 13,121
IL Girls 0 #583 35 11,648
SA Girls 0 #584 366 25,931
MY Girls 0 #619 402 24,821
AR Girls 0 #630 1 8,289
BO Girls 0 #648 4 9,488
EG Girls 0 #774 187 14,742
Germany Girls 0 #802 37 4,949
NL Girls 0 #822 134 5,933
CL Girls 0 #825 27 14,098
United States Girls 2024 #909 8 8,487
PE Girls 0 #918 26 14,861
BR Girls 0 #923 19 12,708
Spain Girls 0 #939 45 5,561
TR 0 #959 257 19,440
CO Girls 0 #972 107 16,140
MX Girls 0 #1,156 28 17,781
IT Girls 0 #1,289 158 9,415

John is popular in 103 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Norway
Ireland
NL
Scotland, United Kingdom

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People also ask about John

John is predominantly a boy's name.
John is a one syllable name, pronounced /dʒɑn/ (US), /dʒɒn/ (UK); respelling: 'JON'.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Jon, Johnny, Jonny, Johan, Jón and Jack.
Across languages, John has these equivalents: Yochanan (Hebrew), Ioannis/Ioánnis (Greek), Johannes (Latin/German/Scandinavian), Juan (Spanish), Jean (French), and 9 more.
Yes, very popular — John ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 14 countries.
John ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
John's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2015 to #1 in 2025 in Ireland.
Yes — 31 notable people named John are in our database, including John F. Kennedy (Politician), John Locke (Politician), John Paul II (Politician).
Yes — at least 21 celebrity couples have chosen John for their child, including Yoko Ono and John Lennon.