John

maleBiblical Hebrew

From Hebrew Yochanan, 'Yahweh is gracious', via Greek Ioannes and Latin Iohannes. One of the most widespread names in Christian Europe, associated with both John the Baptist and the apostle John.

Origin: Biblical Hebrew

Official popularity data is available for 7 regions, from 1945 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #1 in Republic of Ireland in 1986. See regions.

John: Recorded every year since 1945, it reached #1 in 1952, and it was still inside the top 100 in 2025.

7registrars recorded it
336times a registrar ranked it
81years from first to last
#1highest recorded position
39groupings it qualifies for
97names it appears alongside

What stands out in John's record

Ranked inside the top 10 by 3 registrars, and #1 in 3 of them. Names by top-10 reach
Ranked every year since 1945, without a single year missing. Names by continuity of record
Held a top-100 place for 81 years running. Names by top-100 run
Republic of Ireland registered 3,696 births with the name in 1964, its largest count from any one registrar. Names by yearly birth count

YOHN/ˈjɔn/

Compare John Run Name Checker on John

Data Confidence

Evidence: ModerateCompleteness: SubstantialEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)

Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (7) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin: Biblical Hebrew
Meaning: From Hebrew Yochanan, 'Yahweh is gracious', via Greek Ioannes and Latin Iohannes. One of the most widespread names in Christian Europe, associated with both John the Baptist and the apostle John.
Pronunciation: YOHN
Syllables: 1
Common nicknames: None recorded
Classification: Traditional & modern
Gender usage: male
Language family: Biblical Hebrew

Popularity

Region

Falling

among boys in England and Wales · 1996–2025

View as table

England and Wales · Boys rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#46
1997	#49
1998	#53
1999	#57
2000	#58
2001	#58
2002	#64
2003	#66
2004	#64
2005	#72
2006	#73
2007	#75
2008	#83
2009	#83
2010	#94
2011	#100
2012	#104
2013	#107
2014	#101
2015	#108
2016	#120
2017	#118
2018	#122
2019	#131
2020	#150
2021	#154
2022	#150
2023	#158
2024	#164
2025	#174

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Norway in every year from 1945 to 2025.

In 2025: #29 among boys in Republic of Ireland, #161 among boys in Norway, #174 among boys in England and Wales.

Official data from 7 national registrars across 7 regions, 1945–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1945
First recorded at #20 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #174 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys

John appears in 6 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Norway · Boys, which has ranked it in 81 years beginning in 1945, and has registered 18,033 births with the name.

John across 6 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

John's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Norway · Boys	#20 (1945)	#12 (1955)	#161 (2025)	81 of 81	18,033 (1945–2025)	487 (1964)
New South Wales, Australia · Boys	#1 (1952)	#1 (1952)	#97 (2019)	66 of 68	46,511 (1952–2019)	2,205 (1952)
New Zealand · Boys	#1 (1954)	#1 (1954)	#86 (2021)	68 of 68	27,114 (1954–2021)	1,389 (1954)
Republic of Ireland · Boys	#1 (1964)	#1 (1964)	#29 (2025)	62 of 62	73,225 (1964–2025)	3,696 (1964)
England and Wales · Boys	#46 (1996)	#46 (1996)	#174 (2025)	30 of 30	22,533 (1996–2025)	1,649 (1996)
Northern Ireland · Boys	#17 (1997)	#17 (1997)	#67 (2024)	28 of 28	2,338 (1997–2024)	182 (1997)

John by decade in Norway · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with John in Norway · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1940s	2,002	5 of 10	400
1950s	4,111	10 of 10	411
1960sbusiest	4,256	10 of 10	426
1970s	2,678	10 of 10	268
1980s	1,972	10 of 10	197
1990s	1,397	10 of 10	140
2000s	876	10 of 10	88
2010s	531	10 of 10	53
2020s	210	6 of 10	35

Across Norway · Boys, the 1960s were its busiest decade, averaging 426 births a year.

See the names Norwayhas recorded the most births with →

John appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

What the record shows

Recorded by 7 registrars between 1945 and 2025, ranked in 81 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #1, first reached in 1952.

It held a top-100 place in 81 years, 81 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 3,696 births, registered in Republic of Ireland in 1964.

3 registrars ranked it inside their own top 10. It reached #1 in 3 registrars' lists.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1952, and 79 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

John was ranked #1 in New South Wales, Australia · Boys in 1952. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Johanne · #47, 81y
Johannes · #6, 81y
John Paul · #384, 18y
John-James · #237, 19y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 7 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Anne · #1, 81y
Daniel · #1, 81y
David · #1, 81y
Ella · #1, 77y

Also first recorded in the 1940s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1940 and 1949.

Andreas · #1, 81y
Anne · #1, 81y
Charlotte · #1, 73y
Christine · #1, 81y

Comparisons involving John

Existing comparison pages where John and another name were ranked in the same published list, in the same years, on the same scale. Each has its own evidence; none of them says the names are alike.

Longest shared records

Names ranked alongside John in the same published list across at least 25 years.

John vs Scott
In 1996 they stood at #46 and #48 in England and Wales · Boys, 2 places apart; by 2025 they were #174 and #845.
John · Scott · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking
John vs Ashley
In 1996 they stood at #46 and #40 in England and Wales · Boys, 6 places apart; by 2025 they were #174 and #716.
John · Ashley · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking
John vs Sean
In 1996 they stood at #46 and #49 in England and Wales · Boys, 3 places apart; by 2025 they were #174 and #615.
John · Sean · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking

Closest long-running positions

Names that stayed close to John within one registrar's list over many years. A gap measured inside that list, never across registrars.

John vs Richard
Across 46 shared years in New Zealand · Boys, John and Richard averaged 8.7 places apart, ending at #40 and #81.
John · Richard · 46 shared years, 1954–1999 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1999 New Zealand ranking
John vs Mark
Across 50 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, John and Mark averaged 8.9 places apart, ending at #53 and #90.
John · Mark · 50 shared years, 1952–2001 · Closest over the longest run
See the 2001 New South Wales, Australia ranking
John vs Paul
Across 46 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, John and Paul averaged 9.2 places apart, ending at #49 and #86.
John · Paul · 46 shared years, 1952–1998 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1998 New South Wales, Australia ranking

Order changes

Pairs where John and another name exchanged position in a published list, taken as the final meaningful change.

John vs Conor
In 1994, Conor moved ahead of John in Republic of Ireland · Boys — #2 and #9 the year before became #4 and #3.
John · Conor · 62 shared years, 1964–2025 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1994 Republic of Ireland ranking
John vs Jack
In 1998, Jack moved ahead of John in Republic of Ireland · Boys — #5 and #10 the year before became #13 and #3.
John · Jack · 53 shared years, 1970–2025 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1998 Republic of Ireland ranking
James vs John
In 1997, James moved ahead of John in Republic of Ireland · Boys — #7 and #6 the year before became #3 and #5.
James · John · 62 shared years, 1964–2025 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1997 Republic of Ireland ranking

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

Pairs involving John measured in New South Wales, Australia's own published lists — the registrar that recorded John at its highest position.

John vs Anthony
John and Anthony changed places 12 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 1952 and 2017, ending at #83 and #89.
John · Anthony · 65 shared years, 1952–2017 · Repeatedly exchanged positions
See the 2017 New South Wales, Australia ranking
John vs Alan
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — John #1 in 1952, Alan #27 in 1953.
John · Alan · 32 shared years, 1952–1983 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1953 New South Wales, Australia ranking
John vs Barry
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — John #1 in 1952, Barry #30 in 1952.
John · Barry · 21 shared years, 1952–1973 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1952 New South Wales, Australia ranking

New South Wales, Australia overview→

John and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,577 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed John without appearing here.

John moved ahead of

Tor
In 2022 they stood at #151 and #141 in Norway · Boys; by 2023 that had become #144 and #168.
Cameron
In 2013 they stood at #107 and #93 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2014 that had become #101 and #123.
Jordan
In 2003 they stood at #66 and #54 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2004 that had become #64 and #86.
Ben Compare
In 2011 they stood at #100 and #97 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2012 that had become #104 and #118.

Moved ahead of John

Colin Compare
In 2024 they stood at #136 and #162 in Norway · Boys; by 2025 that had become #161 and #119.
Jonathan
In 2002 they stood at #68 and #80 in Norway · Boys; by 2003 that had become #95 and #60.
Sander
In 1995 they stood at #53 and #60 in Norway · Boys; by 1996 that had become #69 and #34.
Tommy
In 2010 they stood at #94 and #156 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2011 that had become #100 and #65.

Moved the opposite way to John

David Compare
Between 1945 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, John went from #20 to #161 while David went from #167 to #88.
Emil Compare
Between 1945 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, John went from #20 to #161 while Emil went from #271 to #2.
Even Compare
Between 1945 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, John went from #20 to #161 while Even went from #180 to #42.
Fredrik Compare
Between 1945 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, John went from #20 to #161 while Fredrik went from #137 to #82.

Moved the same way as John

Arild
Between 1945 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, John went from #20 to #161 and Arild from #32 to #489.
Arne Compare
Between 1945 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, John went from #20 to #161 and Arne from #6 to #222.
Bjørn Compare
Between 1945 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, John went from #20 to #161 and Bjørn from #3 to #56.
Dag
Between 1945 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, John went from #20 to #161 and Dag from #48 to #426.

Meaning & Origin

From Hebrew Yochanan, 'Yahweh is gracious', via Greek Ioannes and Latin Iohannes. One of the most widespread names in Christian Europe, associated with both John the Baptist and the apostle John.

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Biblical Hebrew

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where John is officially recorded

7 official registrars have recorded John, between 1945 and 2025. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

Registrar	Recorded	Years	Its own highest position
Norway	1945–2025	81	#12 in 1955
New South Wales, Australia	1952–2019	66	#1 in 1952
New Zealand	1954–2021	68	#1 in 1954
Republic of Ireland	1964–2025	62	#1 in 1964
England and Wales	1996–2025	30	#46 in 1996
Northern Ireland	1997–2024	28	#17 in 1997
Scotland	2024	1	#78 in 2024

Its high point came 72 years earlier in New South Wales, Australia (1952) than in Scotland (2024).

Variants

No spelling variants or nicknames recorded yet.

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

No commonly used alternate spellings recorded.

Pronunciation

YOHN/ˈjɔn/

Syllables: 1
Ease: easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where John Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded John in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

New South Wales, AustraliaEngland and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNorwayNew Zealand

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

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John

John at a glance

What stands out in John's record

Overview

Popularity

What the data shows

Popularity journey

John across 6 official records

John by decade in Norway · Boys

John appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside John

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1940s

Comparisons involving John

Longest shared records

Closest long-running positions

Order changes

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

John and the names beside it

John moved ahead of

Moved ahead of John

Moved the opposite way to John

Moved the same way as John

Meaning & Origin

Where John is officially recorded

Variants

Similar Names

Spelling

Pronunciation

Where John Is Recorded

Notable Usage

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

John at a glance

What stands out in John's record

John across 6 official records

John by decade in Norway · Boys

John appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside John

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1940s

Comparisons involving John

Longest shared records

Closest long-running positions

Order changes

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

John and the names beside it

John moved ahead of

Moved ahead of John

Moved the opposite way to John

Moved the same way as John