John

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Juan in AR Argentina, ES Spain, MX Mexico and 6 more, Jan in PL Poland, CZ Czechia, DK Denmark and 1 more, Sebastian in DE Germany, EC Ecuador and Joao in BR Brazil.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 16 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

John is also recorded as 6 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• a separate given name1.5M records spelled John2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, India, United Kingdom, Canada

• a separate given name273K records spelled John12 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Norway, United Kingdom, Canada

  Also written J̶o̶h̶n̶, Jõhñ, Jöhñ, Jöhň, Jóhň

• Indonesian given name199K records spelled John7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Indonesia, United States, Philippines, Malaysia

  Languages: Indonesian, Malay

  Also written 'John, Johñ, Jöhñ, Jỡhn, Johń

• Finnish given name115K records spelled John17 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Finland, Hungary, United States, United Kingdom

  Languages: Finnish, Hungarian, Estonian

  Also written Johann, Ioan, Jõhñ, Jóhann, Jõhn

• Thai given name88K records spelled John15 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Thailand, United States, Philippines, United Kingdom

  Languages: Thai, Lao

  Also written Jon, จอนห์, จอนห, Jöhn, Jóhn

• Japanese given name71K records spelled John8 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Nigeria

  Also written Jóhñ, Jöhñ, Jôhń, Johñ, Jôhn

141 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

John is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• The classic name John has deep historical and religious roots, meaning 'God is gracious.' It belongs to one of the most revered prophets, known for his integrity, courage, and pivotal role in preparing the way for Jesus, making it a name that signifies humility and divine purpose.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• Derived from the Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān), the name combines 'Yô,' a reference to Yahweh (God), with the verb 'ḥānan,' meaning 'to be gracious'. It was Hellenized to Ἰωάννης (Ioannes) in Greek and later Latinized as Iohannes, eventually becoming John in English.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name John is of Hebrew origin and signifies divine grace and favor. As the father of Peter, the 'rock' on whom Jesus would build his church, John's name subtly underscores the theme of God's grace being foundational to the establishment of the Christian faith.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• John is a timeless and classic boy's name of Hebrew origin, meaning "God is gracious." One of the most popular names in the Western world for centuries, it has been borne by numerous saints, kings, and popes, giving it a strong, traditional, and dependable feel.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• John is a timeless Hebrew name meaning "God is gracious," while Mark is a strong Latin name meaning "warlike." As John Mark, the name represents a figure of great importance in early Christianity, known for his resilience and for authoring one of the Gospels.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• John Bunyanb. 1628GBEnglish Christian writer and preacher (1628-1688)
• John Adamsb. 1735USFounding Father, U.S. president from 1797 to 1801 (1735–1826)
• John Quincy Adamsb. 1767USPresident of the United States from 1825 to 1829
• John Tylerb. 1790USpresident of the United States from 1841 to 1845
• John Updikeb. 1932USAmerican novelist, poet (1932–2009)
• John McCainb. 1936USAmerican politician (1936–2018)
• Thomas J. Sargentb. 1943USnot in their usual nameAmerican economist (born 1943)
• John Grishamb. 1955USAmerican writer (born 1955)
• John Robertsb. 1955USChief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since 2005
• John Cusackb. 1966USAmerican actor, producer, and screenwriter (born 1966)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 2,279 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name John?

We estimate roughly 11 million people bear John (counting its spellings and scripts) across 12 countries in our records.

In which country does John have the most bearers?

John is most frequently recorded in Argentina, where it is most often spelled juan.

How common is John compared with other names?

In Argentina, John is the 2nd most common given name of 517,176 given names recorded there.

Is John a male or female name?

John is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name John mean?

Recorded meaning: The name John is a timeless classic of Hebrew origin meaning "God is gracious."