Origin, Meaning, And History Of John
John is a traditional boy’s name of Hebrew origin that means ‘God is gracious.’ The name John first appears in the Old Testament in its Hebrew form. The Greek-language New Testament better translated the Hebrew name Yohanan as Ioannes, later Johannes in Late Latin, and finally John in English.
The name’s widespread popularity is primarily owed to two significant figures in the New Testament, both highly revered saints. The first is John the Baptist, a Jewish ascetic recognized as the precursor to Jesus. He performed the baptism of Jesus and was later killed by Herod Antipas. The second is the apostle John, traditionally believed to be the author of the fourth gospel and the Book of Revelation. As one of the inner circle disciples, along with Peter and James (his brother), John held a special position in relation to Jesus.
Initially, this name was more commonly used among Eastern Christians in the Byzantine Empire. However, its popularity expanded throughout Western Europe after the First Crusade. In England, it became exceedingly popular, often ranking as the most common male name from the 13th to the 20th century, occasionally surpassed by William. During the later Middle Ages, approximately one-fifth of all English boys were given this name. It remained the most common name for boys in the United States until 1923.
The phonetic spelling of the name is JON or J(ohn). John has interesting variants in different languages, such as Jean in French, Ivan in Russian, Juan in Spanish, Jan in Dutch, and Giovanni in Italian. Some feminine variants of John include Jane, Janet, Jeanne, Jacqueline, Jana, and Jackie. Adorable nicknames for John include Jimmy, JoJo, Jack, Jimbo, and Joe.
In addition to being a common choice for baby names, John has long been worn by several notable personalities. Among them are John Balliol, who ruled Scotland from 1292 to 1296, John Adams, the United States’ second president from 1797 to 1801, and John Michael Turturro, an American actor and director best known for his work on the Transformers and The Batman movie franchises.
John has been a very popular name in the US and is used in pop culture to name multiple fictional characters. Some include John as John Hamish Watson, a character from the mystery TV series Sherlock Holmes; John Reese from the American drama series Person of Interest; John Bennett, a character from the series Alphas and John Bender from the comedy film The Breakfast Club.
John
Boy
Christianity
Hebrew
2
One
1 word, 4 letters, 1 vowel, 3 consonants
Short and easy to pronounce
How To Pronounce John?
The way you pronounce a name can make all the difference.
Listen to the sound of the name John in English.
Famous People With The Name John
- John BoozmanAmerican politician and former optometrist serving as the senior United States senator.
- John Lee CarrollMember of the United States Democratic Party and the 37th Governor of Maryland from 1876 to 1880.
- John AmplasAmerican actor, best known for his roles in films like Dawn of the Dead and Creepshow.
- John AsherAmerican actor and film director,known for his role in series Weird Science
- John AylwardAmerican actor , known for his role in NBC television series The West Wing
- John CondroneAmerican professional wrestler and singer-songwriter
- John CameronNew Zealand cricketer, played one first-class match for Otago in 1917/18.
John On The Popularity Chart
John was a popular baby name in the early 2000s. However, its popularity gradually declined. Refer to the graphs below for a detailed overview.
Popularity Over Time
From 20,108 babies named John in 2000, only 8,130 babies received the name in 2021. Take a look at the graph below to know how the name fared during these years.
Source: Social Security AdministrationRank Over Time
John’s ranking was best in the year 1983 when it was ranked at 12,079. Refer to the graph below for better insight.
Source: Social Security AdministrationJohn On MomJunction Popularity Chart
Know how popular the name John is among the MomJunction readers. We used a unique approach to gather relevant insights for creating this popularity chart by observing the interactions and interest around the name on our platform. See what the trend has been among our readers over these past years.
Names With Similar Sound As John
Did John’s sound appeal to you? Here are some more similar-sounding names that you can explore.
Popular Sibling Names For John
If you are looking for some matching sibling names that resonate with John, check our suggestions here.
Boy Sibling Names For John
Find matching brother names for John and create a wonderful team of siblings.
JanJanek Jani Janic Janie Janis Janko Jannes Jannic Jannik Girl Sibling Names For John
Looking for some suitable sister names for John? Check out our collection of beautiful and unique names.
JanaJanada Janah Janalee Janaliz Janata Janay Janeah Janean Janee Other Popular Names Beginning With J
Looking for more baby names starting with the letter J to resonate with your family’s naming tradition or to rhyme with the sibling names? Find a range of alternative names starting with this letter.
Names With Similar Meaning As John
Are you looking for more names that mean as lovely as John? Below are some suggestions to consider.
Anagram Names Of John
William Shakespeare is known for his ‘onomastic wit,’ with anagrams being one of them (remember the play Twelfth Night?). Anagram is the rearrangement of the same letters to form different words. Anagramming names has been in vogue for centuries now, and why not when it can create some cute names? Anagram baby names stand out with their unique sound and spellings. You may try an anagram of your name or your partner’s; even better if you combine both names and then try an anagram for the baby. It all stays in the family this way. You may also try anagram names for siblings, especially twins. Here are some anagrams of John.
JhonPopular Songs On The Name John
John’s Zodiac Sign And Birth Star As Per Vedic Astrology
Vedic astrology, also called Jyotisha, provides deep insights into a person’s life based on celestial positions at birth. Rashi and nakshatra, which are an integral part of Jyotisha, are believed to influence an individual’s personality and life events. The following sections give you rashi-related information, such as the associated letters, elements, ruling body, quality, and nakshatra for the name john. These details help analyze a person’s characteristics, personality, and behavior.
Zodiac Sign (Rashi)
As shown in the following table, each rashi is associated with specific sounds, which are often used as the starting letters of names for newborns in Hindu families. Each rashi is represented by a figure and one of the five elements – Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether (Space). One ruling celestial body, known as its 'rashi lord' or 'ruler' is assigned to these rashis. These bodies include Venus, Mars, Sun, Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn. Furthermore, the rashis are assigned various qualities or gunas.
| Rashi (zodiac sign) | Makar (Capricorn) |
|---|---|
| Starting letters for Makar (Capricorn) rashi | KH, J |
| Representation | Crocodile |
| Element | Earth |
| Ruling body | Saturn |
| Quality | Movable |
Birth Star (Nakshatra)
Another important aspect of Vedic Astrology is the nakshatras, the lunar constellations or star clusters that the Moon occupies during a person's birth. There are 27 nakshatras, each with its own unique qualities, attributes, and symbolism. Each rashi contains two-and-one-fourth nakshatras in it. For example, Aries contains Ashwini, Bharani, and Krithika nakshatras.
The below table provides information on the nakshatras’ degrees on the zodiac circle, their lords and related syllables, for babies born in the Makar (Capricorn) rashi. These syllables/phonetics are popularly used to choose the baby name. For precise nakshatra calculation based on your baby's birthplace and date, use our Nakshatra Calculator.
| Nakshatra | Degrees Of The Nakshatra | Nakshatra Lord (Ruler) | Name Syllables |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utharashada (Utharadam) | Capricorn (0 to 10 degrees) | Sun | Be, Bo, Ja, Ji, Bha, Bhe, Bho, Jaa, Jee |
| Sravana (Shravana, Thiruvonam) | Capricorn (10 to 23.20 degrees) | Moon | Ju, Je, Jo, Khi, So, Khu, Khe, Kho |
| Dhanishta (Avittam) | Capricorn (23.20 to 30 degrees) | Mars | Ga, Gi, Gu, Ge, Gee |
Infographic: Know The Name John‘s Personality As Per Numerology
Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
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John In Different Languages
It’s exciting to see our baby’s name spelled and written in various languages. See how people spell John in Spanish, French, German, Italian, and more! Each language has its own way of saying John, but it’s still the same special name. Learn how the name looks and sounds in different languages around the world!
| Name | Language | Code |
|---|---|---|
| John | English | en |
| 约翰 | Chinese | zh-CN |
| जॉन | Hindi | hi |
| John | Spanish | es |
| John | French | fr |
| جون | Arabic | ar |
| জন | Bengali | bn |
| John | Portuguese | pt |
| Джон | Russian | ru |
| جان | Urdu | ur |
| John | Indonesian | id |
| John | German | de |
| ジョン | Japanese | ja |
| जॉन | Marathi | mr |
| జాన్ | Telugu | te |
| John | Turkish | tr |
| ஜான் | Tamil | ta |
| John | Vietnamese | vi |
| John | Tagalog | tl |
| 남자 | Korean | ko |
| John | Hausa | ha |
| John | Swahili | sw |
| John | Javanese | jv |
| John | Italian | it |
| ਜੌਨ | Punjabi | pa |
| જ્હોન | Gujarati | gu |
| จอห์น | Thai | th |
| ಜಾನ್ | Kannada | kn |
| ጆን | Amharic | am |
| जॉन | Bhojpuri | bho |
| John | Yoruba | yo |
How To Communicate The Name John In Sign Languages
In Nautical Flags
john
In Sign Language
john
In Braille Alphabet
john
In Morse Code
john
Name Numerology For John
Numerology is an occult system that gives significance to numbers and their influence on human life and destiny. Numerologists attribute specific qualities, energies, and characteristics to a number. Parents who believe in numerology prefer to choose baby names that resonate positively with the child’s unique numerical vibrations, often derived from their date of birth. Here we give a general birth number and personality traits of the name John, based on the Pythagorean (Western) system. This analysis will differ from child to child based on their date of birth. You may use our numerology calculator for more personalized information.
Baby Name Lists Containing John
Read through our baby name lists that include the name John and several other similar names. The wider the choice, the better your selection. Isn't it?
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Movie Titles Inspired By The Name John
Discover the presence of John in an array of films. Know about the various movies that have this name.
| Movie title | Other titles | Release year |
|---|---|---|
| John Farnham: Finding the Voice | 2023 | |
| John Wick: Chapter 4 | Džon Vik 4, Džonas Vikas 4, Džons Viks 4, John Wick 4, John Wick 4: Baba Yaga, John Wick: 4. felvonás, John Wick: Capitolul 4, John Wick: Capítulo 4, John Wick: Chapitre 4, John Wick: Kapitel 4, John Wick: Kapitola 4, John Wick: Κεφάλαιο 4, Jon Uik 4, Sát Thủ John Wick: Chương 4, Джон Вік 4, Джон Уик 4, Џон Вик 4, ジョン・ウィック：コンセクエンス, 捍衛任務4, 殺神John Wick 4, 疾速追杀4 | 2023 |
| Her Majesty's Prime Ministers: John Major | 2023 | |
| John Early: Now More Than Ever | John Early: ahora más que nunca, Untitled John Early/HBO Max Special | 2023 |
| John & Joe Bishop: Life After Deaf | 2022 | |
| John Williams: The Berlin Concert | Från Star Wars till Harry Potter - Konsert med John Williams | 2022 |
| John Luther | 2022 | |
| John Waite: The Hard Way | 2022 |
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the meaning of the name John?
The name John means ‘God is gracious.’
2. What is the origin of the name John?
John has a Hebrew origin.
3. How to pronounce the name John?
John is pronounced as ‘jon.’
4. Is John short for Jonathan?
No, John cannot be considered short for Jonathan, as these are two different names, even though they sound similar. John derives from the Hebrew name Yochanan, while Jonathan derives from the Hebrew Yehonatan.
5. Does the name John have a good rank in terms of popularity?
Most recently, the name John was ranked 26th in the US as per the Social Security Administration data (1).
6. Is John a unisex name?
John, as a first name John is a masculine name. It cannot be used for a girl.
References:
- Popularity of name John.
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/
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