Every Boy Name

Boy's name

John

Say it JON 1 syllable

Hebrew · “God is gracious”

Common in Ontario, Ireland, British Columbia, and 3 more places. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 16 more places.

1 in 145 boys born in Ireland in 2025. Number 29 there.

John in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 0, common in 6, rare in 19.
John in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales174 (down)20252961 in 9191502020
Scotland102 (down)2025501 in 393922020
Northern Ireland67 (up)2025351 in 237772020
Ireland29 (down)20251641 in 145262020
North America
Ontario (province)66 (down)2024180about 1 in 333602019
Quebec (province)210 (down)202526about 1 in 1,1172052020
British Columbia (province)84 (down)202339about 1 in 334622018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Victoria (state)Not in the published top 1012025982020
Queensland (state)Not in the published top 1012025Not listed2020
South Australia (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
New Zealand88 (up)202548972020
Western Europe
France711 (up)2025551 in 5,5038262020
Netherlands638 (down)202521about 1 in 3,1684792020
Central Europe
Austria326 (down)2025171 in 2,2393212020
Switzerland177 (down)2025451 in 8001542020
Berlin (city)176 (down)202320about 1 in 7761152018
Munich (city)Rare: below the complete list20252242020
Cologne (city)234 (down)20235about 1 in 1,2761372018
Bonn (city)190 (down)20253about 1 in 1,0571262020
Leipzig (city)241 (down)20252about 1 in 1,4381282020
Rostock (city)96 (down)20252about 1 in 524832020
Nordic countries
Norway1602025321 in 7271602020
Sweden113 (down)202592about 1 in 4691092020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)480 (down)202561 in 3,4513392020
Italy526 (new in the list)2024191 in 9,966Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
PolandRare: below the complete list20254402020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list20247422019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Behind the plain English John lies a long chain: Middle English, Anglo-Norman Jehan and Old English Iohannes, then Latin, Greek and finally the Biblical Hebrew Yôḥānān, 'God is gracious'. It is the name of John the Baptist and of the apostle John, which explains its spread across the Christian world.

2 more paragraphs

A single syllable, JON, makes it as simple as a name can be. Few names have produced so many forms: Jack, Jon, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Sean, Shane and Shaun all belong to the same family.

Today John is more a steady classic than a fashion. It still ranks in Ireland, Ontario and Northern Ireland, and appears further down in Sweden, Norway and Switzerland. Canadian records show it at its most common at the very start of the records, and it is now falling in most places that list it.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
JON · 1 syllable
Meaning
“God is gracious”
Origin
Hebrew
Related names
Jack, Jon, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Sean, Shane, Ian, Ivan, Evan, Juan, Giovanni, Yahya, Mac, Jan, Shaun, Jehan, Iohannes, Jonn, Jhon, Jang, Johnny, Jhonny, Jonny, Yona, Ioannis, Seaghan
Where John comes from (Wiktionary)

From Middle English John, Johan, Johannes, from Anglo-Norman Jehan, Johan, and also Old English Iohannes, both from Late Latin Iōhannēs, variant of Latin Iōannēs, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Biblical Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān), perhaps contracted from a former יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān, “God is gracious”).

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for John. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

John over time

Rising in 1 of the 19 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 6. Peak in Ontario and British Columbia: 1926.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

John in England and Wales: #46 in 1996, and #174 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #46, 1,649 boys1997: #49, 1,439 boys1998: #53, 1,357 boys1999: #57, 1,158 boys2000: #58, 1,096 boys2001: #58, 995 boys2002: #64, 916 boys2003: #66, 920 boys2004: #64, 995 boys2005: #72, 946 boys2006: #73, 905 boys2007: #75, 908 boys2008: #83, 810 boys2009: #83, 762 boys2010: #94, 690 boys2011: #100, 645 boys2012: #104, 618 boys2013: #107, 576 boys2014: #101, 601 boys2015: #108, 594 boys2016: #120, 512 boys2017: #118, 513 boys2018: #122, 486 boys2019: #131, 431 boys2020: #150, 361 boys2021: #154, 359 boys2022: #150, 360 boys2023: #158, 334 boys2024: #164, 304 boys2025: #174, 296 boyspeak #46, 1996#174in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996461,649
1997491,439
1998531,357
1999571,158
2000581,096
200158995
200264916
200366920
200464995
200572946
200673905
200775908
200883810
200983762
201094690
2011100645
2012104618
2013107576
2014101601
2015108594
2016120512
2017118513
2018122486
2019131431
2020150361
2021154359
2022150360
2023158334
2024164304
2025174296

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in Ontario and British Columbia

Half of the boys named John in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 1955. Peak: 1926, about 7,553 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 7,447.2 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 7,300.9 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 6,774.2 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 6,617.4 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 6,370.2 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 5,493 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 4,463.4 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 4,127 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 3,623.4 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 2,524.7 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 1,828.5 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 1,500.8 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 1,137.2 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 912.2 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 772.5 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 626.6 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 483.9 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 424.5 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 400.7 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 320 per 100,000 boys20201925-1929: about 1 in 13 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19297,447.2
1930–19347,300.9
1935–19396,774.2
1940–19446,617.4
1945–19496,370.2
1950–19545,493
1955–19594,463.4
1960–19644,127
1965–19693,623.4
1970–19742,524.7
1975–19791,828.5
1980–19841,500.8
1985–19891,137.2
1990–1994912.2
1995–1999772.5
2000–2004626.6
2005–2009483.9
2010–2014424.5
2015–2019400.7
2020–2024320

Source: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (OGL-Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (OGL-BC). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for John

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with John, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 105, Ireland

  2. 1 in 207, Northern Ireland

  3. 1 in 622, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  5. 1 in 196, England and Wales

  6. 1 in 126, Ireland

  7. 1 in 130, Ireland

  8. 1 in 208, Ireland

  9. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  10. 1 in 1,000, England and Wales

All 40 brother names for John

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against John's 1 syllable and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 187, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 118, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 105, Ireland

  6. 1 in 130, Scotland

  7. 1 in 62, Poland

  8. 1 in 112, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

John Oliver

Syllables 1-3Initials J.O.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for John

Sisters for John: Elizabeth, Mary, Ruth, and 5 more
  1. ElizabethRose and fell with John · As common as John
  2. MaryRose and fell with John · Same generation as John
  3. RuthRose and fell with John · Hebrew, like John
  4. AnnieRose and fell with John · Same generation as John
  5. EleanorRose and fell with John · Same generation as John
  6. MiriamRose and fell with John · Hebrew, like John
  7. EllenRose and fell with John · Same generation as John
  8. NancyRose and fell with John · Same generation as John

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with John

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like John's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Common across the UK, three Canadian provinces, Israel, and 7 more places.

  2. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

  3. Rare in all 24 places we hold figures for.

  4. Rare in Italy, Poland, Israel, and 15 more places.

  5. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 20 more places.

  6. Common across the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, and 9 more places.

  7. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 19 more places.

  8. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 18 more places.

Famous people named John

John F. Kennedy, John Locke, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about John

How popular is John in Ireland?

John ranked #29 in Ireland in 2025, given to 164 boys, about 1 in 145.

Is John rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 1 of the 19 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 6. Rising in: France.

What does John mean?

John means “God is gracious”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does John have?

John has 1 syllable: JON.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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