Meaning and history
John is the English form of Latin Iohannes and Greek Ioannes, derived from the Hebrew Yoḥanan meaning "Yahweh is gracious." Although Hebrew forms appear in the Old Testament, its popularity chiefly reflects two New Testament saints: John the Baptist, who baptized Jesus and was executed by Herod Antipas, and the apostle John, traditionally credited with the fourth gospel and Revelation. Initially more common among Eastern Christians, the name flourished in Western Europe after the First Crusade and was usually the most common English male name from the 13th to the 20th century; it also led the U.S. boys' rankings until 1923. In its many forms, John has been borne by popes, emperors, monarchs, writers, political figures, and musicians. Related forms widely used in English include Scottish Ian, Irish Sean, Welsh Evan, and the medieval diminutive Jack.
20062006: 15,177 births, rank #19
2007: 14,447 births, rank #19
2008: 13,336 births, rank #20
2009: 12,133 births, rank #26
2010: 11,568 births, rank #26
20112011: 11,068 births, rank #27
2012: 10,638 births, rank #28
2013: 10,739 births, rank #27
2014: 10,701 births, rank #26
2015: 10,423 births, rank #26
20162016: 10,060 births, rank #28
2017: 9,536 births, rank #27
2018: 9,204 births, rank #26
2019: 8,863 births, rank #28
2020: 8,265 births, rank #27
20212021: 8,186 births, rank #27
2022: 8,001 births, rank #26
2023: 7,804 births, rank #26
2024: 8,087 births, rank #21
20252025: 8,027 births, rank #23
John climbed to #1 for boys from 1880 through 1923. It remains prominent at #23 in 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 1947, with 88,324 births.