ninan.org

John

Boys' name · Mid-century perennial

Living in the US
~2,833,700 survival-weighted estimate
2025 rank
#23 among boys
Births in 2025
8,033 5,204,377 since 1880
Typical age
59 years, median

John popularity over time

John rank by birth year, 1880–2025John ranked #1 in 1880 and #23 in 2025. Its best rank in the period was #1, in 1880.#1#10#23best #1 in 188018901920195019802010
Rank among US baby names by birth year, 1880–2025. Lower is more popular; the scale is logarithmic so the top of the chart is not compressed.

John was used most in 1947, when 88,527 babies were given the name. The name is already in use in 1880, where the data begins. It has held a top-100 place in 146 separate years.

In 2025 it ranked #23 with 8,033 births. Over ten years the count has fallen 23%.

Babies named John per yearPeaks at 88,527 births in 1947.88,527 in 1947018901920195019802010
Recorded US births by year. The peak is labelled; the axis starts at zero.

How many people are named John?

Roughly 2,833,700 Johns are alive in the US right now. SSA has recorded 5,204,377 births under the name since 1880.

This is a survival-weighted estimate, not a headcount: every recorded birth year is multiplied by the chance someone born that year is still alive, using the SSA period life table. How the estimate works.

How old is the average John?

Half of living Johns are older than 59, half younger. Most living bearers were born in the 1960s. By the site’s era rules that makes John a mid-century perennial name.

Your John

Ages of living people named JohnHalf of living Johns are older than 59 and half younger.median 59020406080100
Estimated living bearers by age today. Each bar is a birth year, weighted by the chance someone born then is still alive.

Where John is most common

John is 3.0× as common in Mississippi as it is nationally. Alabama, District of Columbia and Wyoming follow.

Where John is used more than average5 states use the name John more than the national average.Alaska: not over-representedAKMaine: not over-representedMEVermont: not over-representedVTNew Hampshire: not over-representedNHWashington: not over-representedWAIdaho: not over-representedIDMontana: not over-representedMTNorth Dakota: not over-representedNDMinnesota: not over-representedMNIllinois: not over-representedILWisconsin: not over-representedWIMichigan: not over-representedMINew York: not over-representedNYOregon: not over-representedORNevada: not over-representedNVWyoming: 2.4× the national rateWYSouth Dakota: not over-representedSDIowa: not over-representedIAIndiana: not over-representedINOhio: not over-representedOHPennsylvania: not over-representedPANew Jersey: not over-representedNJConnecticut: not over-representedCTRhode Island: 2.2× the national rateRICalifornia: not over-representedCAUtah: not over-representedUTColorado: not over-representedCONebraska: not over-representedNEMissouri: not over-representedMOKentucky: not over-representedKYWest Virginia: not over-representedWVVirginia: not over-representedVAMaryland: not over-representedMDDelaware: not over-representedDEMassachusetts: not over-representedMAArizona: not over-representedAZNew Mexico: not over-representedNMKansas: not over-representedKSArkansas: not over-representedARTennessee: not over-representedTNNorth Carolina: not over-representedNCSouth Carolina: not over-representedSCDistrict of Columbia: 2.8× the national rateDCOklahoma: not over-representedOKLouisiana: not over-representedLAMississippi: 3.0× the national rateMSAlabama: 2.9× the national rateALGeorgia: not over-representedGAHawaii: not over-representedHITexas: not over-representedTXFlorida: not over-representedFL
Same as national3× or more
Location quotient, 2016–2025. Shaded states use the name more than the country does, relative to their own births. Exact figures are in the table below.
States where John is over-represented, 2016–2025. The location quotient compares the state's share of the name with the national share.
StateBirthsvs national rate
Mississippi 1,686 3.0×
Alabama 2,996 2.9×
District of Columbia 446 2.8×
Wyoming 134 2.4×
Rhode Island 339 2.2×

John in England and Wales

ONS recorded 296 births named John in 2025, ranking it #174.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Counts below three are suppressed by ONS.

Where the name John comes from

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, from Biblical Hebrew יוֹחָנָן, perhaps contracted from a former יְהוֹחָנָן (“God is gracious”).

Etymology summarised from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wiktionary entry.

Notable people named John

Ordered by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article about them — a measure of reach, not of importance.
NameKnown forYearsEditions
John F. Kennedy president of the United States from 1961 to 1963 1917–1963 249
John Locke English philosopher and physician 1632–1704 207
John Adams Founding Father, U.S. president from 1797 to 1801 1735–1826 187
John Maynard Keynes British economist 1883–1946 185
John Lennon British musician 1940–1980 184
John Quincy Adams President of the United States from 1825 to 1829 1767–1848 166
John Milton English poet and civil servant 1608–1674 155
John Stuart Mill British philosopher and political economist 1806–1873 149
Photo credits (8)

The sharpest rise. Births under this name jumped from 13,514 in 1911 to 24,700 in 1912 — 1.8 times over in a single year.

Birth records contain the rise and nothing about its cause. This site does not supply one.

People and dates from Wikidata (CC0), limited to those with an English Wikipedia article who are known by this name as their first name.

Names similar to John

Matched by sound and spelling inside this dataset, then ordered by total recorded births. This is not a claim about shared etymology.

Same feel, less common

The same matches, limited to names given at most half as often as John was in 2025.

Related pages

Get this data

Every number on this page is available as JSON: /api/name/john.json. Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0).