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John (given name)

Given name

Summary

Given name

Field	Value
name	John
image	Saint John the Baptist Preaching in the Wilderness by Anton Raphael.png
caption	18th-century painting of John the Baptist by Anton Raphael Mengs
pronunciation
meaning	"God has been gracious", "Graced by God" (Johanan)
gender	Male
language	English
origin	Hebrew
nickname	Johnny, Jack, Jackie
name day	June 24
popularity	yes
related names	Evan, Eoin, Evandro, Evaristo, Euan, Ewan, Giannis, Giovanni, Hanan, Hans, Hone, Hovhannes, Ian, Ieuan, Ioan, Ioane, Ioannis, Ivan, Iven, Ifan, Jaan, Jack, Jackson, Jan, Jane, Janez, János, Jean, Jens, Joan, João, Jahan, Johan/Johann, Johanan, Jon, Johannes, Johnny, Jone, Jonni, Jovan, Juha, Juhani, Juan, Sean, Sion, Shane, Yahya, Yannis, Yohannes, Yo-han, Yunus, Xoán

John ( ) is a very common male name in the English language, ultimately of Hebrew origin.

The English form is from Middle English Ioon, Ihon, Iohn, Jan (mid-12c.), itself from Old French Jan, Jean, Jehan (Modern French Jean), from Medieval Latin Johannes, an altered form of Late Latin Ioannes. The Middle English personal name may also derive directly from Medieval Latin, which is from the Greek name Ioannis (Ιωάννης), originally borne by Jews transliterating the Hebrew name Yochanan (), the contracted form of the longer name he (), meaning "God is Gracious" or "God is Merciful". There are numerous forms of the name in various languages; these were formerly often simply translated as "John" in English but are increasingly left in their native forms (see sidebar). The name Jonathan (or Jon) derives from a distinct Biblical name Yonatan ( "given by God").

The name is among the most commonly given names in the Anglophone, Arabic, European, Latin American, Iranian, and Turkic countries. Traditionally in the Anglosphere, it was the most common, although it has not been since the latter half of the 20th century.

John owes its unique popularity to two highly revered saints, John the Baptist (forerunner of Jesus Christ) and the apostle John (traditionally considered the author of the Gospel of John); the name has since been chosen as the regnal or religious name of many emperors, kings, popes and patriarchs. Initially, it was a favorite name among the Greeks, but it flourished in all of Europe after the First Crusade.

Origins

Yahya}}''. Click on the image to see the diagram in full detail.

The name John is a theophoric name originating from the Hebrew name (he), or in its longer form (he), meaning "God has been gracious". Several obscure figures in the Old Testament bore this name, and it grew in popularity once borne by the high priest Johanan (fl. 407 BC) and especially by King John Hyrcanus (d. 104 BC). In the Second Temple period, it was the fifth most popular male name among Jews in Judaea and was borne by several important rabbis, such as Yochanan ben Zakai and Yochanan ben Nuri.

Germanic derivatives

The Germanic languages, including German, English and Scandinavian produced the masculine Johann

also Johan (Dutch)
Joan,
Jan and Janke (Dutch)
Jannis
Jens (Danish and Frisian)
Jóhannes
Jóhann (Icelandic and Faroese)
Jöns (Swedish)
Hans (German, Dutch and Scandinavian).

Name statistics

John was the most popular name given to male infants in the United States until 1924, and though its use has fallen off gradually since then, John was still the 20th most common name for boys on the Social Security Administration's list of the names given in 2006.

John was also among the most common masculine names in the United Kingdom, but by 2004 it had fallen out of the top 50 names for newborn boys in England and Wales.

By contrast Jack, which was a nickname for John but is now established as a name in its own right, was the most popular name given to newborn boys in England and Wales every year from 1995 to 2005. It is also the third most common name in the United States, with an estimated 3.18 million individuals as of 2021 according to the Social Security Administration.

In other languages

Language	Masculine form	Feminine form
Afrikaans	Jan, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Hannes, Hans	Hanna, Jana, Janke, Johanna
Adyghe (Circassian)	Иуан (Iuan)
Albanian	Gjon, Gjin, Joan, Jovan, Jani	Gjonika, Joana, Jovana, Jana
Alemmanic	Hans, Hannes, Hansli, Hänsli, Housi, Jänu
Alsatian	Schàngi
Amharic	ዮሐንስ (Yoḥännǝs)
Arabic	يحيى (Yaḥyā, Qurʾānic), يوحنا (Yūḥannā, Biblical) or حنّا (Henna or Hanna)
Aragonese	Chuan	Chuana
HovhannesArmenian	Հովհաննես (Hovhannes); Օհաննես (Ohannes); Classical Armenian: Յովհաննէս (Hovhannēs)
Assyrian	ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ (Yoḥannān), Yukhannan, Yokhanna
Asturian	Xuan	Xuana
Azerbaijani	Yəhya
Basque	Manez, Ganix, Joanes, Iban	Ibane, Jone
Bavarian	Hans, Hanse, Hansi, Hansl, Hannas
Belarusian	Іван (Ivan), Ян (Jan), Янка (Janka), Янэк (Janek), Ясь (Jaś)	Івонка (Ivonka), Янiна (Janina)
Bangla	ইয়াহিয়া (Iyahiya), জনি (Jony), হান্নান (Hannan)
Breton	Yann, Yannig	Jan, Janig, Yannez
Bulgarian	Иван (Ivan), Йоан (Yoan), Янко (Yanko), Яне (Yane)	Ивана (Ivana), Иванка (Ivanka), Йоан[н]а (Yoana), Яна (Yana), Янка (Yanka)
Burmese (Myanmar)	ယောဟန် (Yawhaan)
Catalan	Joan, Jan, Ivan	Joana, Jana, Janna, Ivana
Cherokee	ᏣᏂ (Tsa-ni)
Chinese (Beijingnese)
Chinese (Cantonese)	約翰 (Yoek-hon)
Chinese (Shanghainese)	約翰 (iah7 ghoe6)
Coptic	ⲓⲱϩⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ (Iohannes), ⲓⲱⲁ (Ioa)
Cornish	Jowan, Jan
Corsican	Ghjuvanni	Ghjuvanna
Croatian	Ivan, Ivanko, Ive, Ivek, Ivica, Ivo, Janko, Vanja, Jan	Iva, Ivana, Ivanka, Vanja, Jana
Czech	Jan, Honza, Hanuš	Jana, Johana, Johanka
Danish	Hans, Jens, Jan, Johan, John, Johannes	Hanne, Johanne
Dagbani	Jɔn
Dawan	Yohanes	Yohana
Dholuo	Johana
Dutch	Han, Hannes, Hans, Jan, Jo, Johan, Johannes, Jannes, Jens, Wannes, Sjeng	Hanne, Hanna, Hannah, Jana, Janke, Janne, Jannie/Janny, Janneke, Jannetje, Jantje, Jo, Johanna
Emiliano-Romagnolo	Guiàn, Zvan
English	Johnny (diminutive), Jack (diminutive), Shawn/Shaun, Shane, Jan	Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Joann, Jan, Jane, Jayne, Jayna, Janet, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeane, Jeanne, Jeannie, Shany
Estonian	Jaan, Juhan, Juho, Janno, Jukk, Jaanus, Johannes, Hannes, Hans	Jaana, Johanna
Esperanto	Johano
Extremaduran	Huan
Faroese	Jann, Janus, Jens, Jenis, Jóan, Jóannes, Jónar, Jógvan, Jóhann, Jóhannes, Hannis, Hanus, Hans
Fijian	Jone, Ioane
Filipino	Juan, John, Sean, Shawn, Ivan, Evan, Ian, Hans; diminutives: Jan, Jon, Jack, Jonel, Janjan, Johnny, Banban, Yanyan	Juana, Jean, Joan, Joanne, Joanna, Johanna, Jane, Shane, Janice, Janis, Janet; diminutives: Jana, Janelle, Jian, Jenjen, Nanna, Shin, Nenet
Finnish	Johannes, Jonni, Jussi, Janne, Jani, Juho, Juha, Juhana, Juhani, Jukka, Hannes, Hannu, Joni, Jonne	Johanna, Joanna, Jonna, Janette, Janna, Jaana, Hanna, Hanne
French	Jean, Yoann, Jan, Jehan (outdated)	Jeanne, Jeannette (short), Jane, Jehane (outdated)
Friulian	Zuan, Nani, Neto, Zan, Zaneto	Zuane, Gjovane, Joane, Nane, Zuanine
Galician	Xoán, Xan	Xoana
Ge'ez	ዮሐንስ (Yoḥännǝs)
Georgian	იოანე (Ioane), ივანე (Ivane), იოვანე (Iovane), ვანო (Vano), ივა (Iva)
German	Hannes, Hans, Johann, Johannes, Jan, Hanno, Jens, Jannik	Jana, Janina, Johanna, Hanna, Hanne
Greek	Ιωάννης (Ioannis), Γιάννης (Yiannis, sometimes Giannis)	Ιωάννα (Ioanna), Γιάννα (Yianna, sometimes Gianna)
Greenlandic	Juaanasi, Juaansi
Guaraní	Huã
Gujarati	યોહાન (Yōhāna)
Hawaiian	Keoni, ʻIoane
Hausa	Yahaya
Hebrew	יוחנן (Yoḥanan), יהוחנן (Yehoḥanan)	יוחנה (Yôḥannā) Johanna
Hindi	यूहन्ना (Yuhanna), Yohana, Ayan
Hmong	Yauhas
Hungarian	János, Jani, Jancsi (monikers), Iván	Johanna, Hanna, Zsanett, Janka, Ivána
Icelandic	Jóhann, Jóhannes, Jón, Hannes	Jóhanna
Igbo	Jọn
Indonesian/Malay	Iwan, Yahya, Yan, Yaya, Johan, Yohanes, Yuan, John	Yohana, Yana, Hana
Interlingua	Luan	Luana
Irish	Seán, Eoin	Seána, Seona, Síne, Sinéad, Siobhán, Siún
Italian	Gianni, Giovanni, Vanni, Nino, Vannino	Giovanna,
Jèrriais (Norman)	Jeaun
Japanese	(Yohane), (Jon)
Javanese	Yohanes, Yokanan
Kannada	ಯೋಹಾನನು (Yōhānanu)
Kazakh	Жақия (Jaqıyya), Шоқан (Şoqan)
Khmer	យ៉ូហាន (Yauhan)
Kikuyu	Johana, Yoane
Korean	요한 (Yohan)
Kyrgyz	Жакан (Jakan), Жакыя (Jakıya), Жаныш (Janısh), Жунус (Junus)
Kristang	Juang
Kupang Malay	Yohanis	Yohana
K'iche'	Xwan	Xwa'n
Lao	ໂຢຮັນ (Yo-han)
Latgalian	Juoņs
Latvian	Jānis, Janis, Jancis, Janka, Jans, Jāns, Jānuss, Jānušs, Jonass, Žans, Žanis, Džons, Džonijs, Džanni, Džovanni, Ians, Īans, Džeks, Šeins, Johans, Hans, Hanss, Ansis, Johaness, Johanness, Johanāns, Haness, Hanness, Ivans, Aivans, Aivens, Aiens	Jana, Janīna, Janīne, Džoana, Džoanna, Džanīna, Dženeta, Johanna, Hanna, Anna
Limburgish	Jan, Johan, Joannes, Hens, Hannes, Sjang
Lithuanian	Jonas, Žanas, Ivanas	Janina, Janė, Joana, Žana, Ivana
Livonian	Jōņ, Jōņi, Jāņ, Jāņi
Lombard	Giuàn
Luxembourgish	Gehan, Gehanes, Haans, Jann, Jang, Jean
Macedonian	Јован (Jovan), Јованче (Jovanče), Иван (Ivan), Јане (Jane)	Јована (Jovana), Јованка (Jovanka), Ивана (Ivana), Иванка (Ivanka), Јана (Jana)
Malagasy	Jaona, Joany
Malayalam	യോഹന്നാൻ (Yōhannān) ഉലഹന്നാൻ (Ulahannan) ലോനപ്പൻ (Lonappan) നയിനാ൯ (Nainan, Ninan),Johnichan
Maltese	Ġwanni, Ġanni, Ġann, Ġovann, Ġovanni, Vanni	Ġanna, Ġovanna, Ġannina
Mandaic	Yuhana
Manx	Juan, Ean
Māori	Hoani, Hōne
Marathi	योहान (Yōhāna)
Meitei (Manipuri)	ꯖꯣꯍꯥꯟꯅꯥ (Johanna), ꯖꯣꯍꯥꯟ (Johan)
Mongolian	Иохан (Iokhan)
Montenegrin	Ivan, Janko, Jovan
Navajo	Jáan
Nepali	यूहन्ना (Yūhannā)
Norwegian	Johan, Johannes, John, Jon, Jan, Hans
Northern Sami	Jovnna, Juhán
Occitan	Joan
Persian	یوحنا (Yohannan), یحیی (Yahya), جان (Jaan), جهان (Jahan)
Piedmontese	Gioann
Polish	Jan, Janusz, Janek, Janko, Jaś, Jasiek, Jasiu, Janik, Jancio, Januszek, Janiczek, Janeczek	Janina, Jana, Janka, Jasia, Jaśka, Joanna, Żaneta, Żanna
Portuguese	João	Joana
Punjabi	ਯੂਹੰਨਾ (Yūhanā)
Quechua	Huwan
Romanian	Ioan, Ion, Ionuț, Ionel, Ionică, Nelu, Iancu	Ioana, Ionela
Romansh	Gian, Giovannes
Russian	Иван (Ivan), Иоанн (Ioann, from Hebrew)
Samoan	Ioane	Ioana
Samogitian	Juons
Sardinian	Giuanni, Giuanne, Zuvanne, Zuanne, Nanni, Nanneddu
Scots	Jock, Euan/Ewen/Ewan	Shona
Scottish Gaelic	Iain, Eòin, Seathan, Shean	Seòna, Seònag, Seònaid, Siubhan, Sìne
Serbian	Ivan, Janko, Jovan, Jovica, Vanja	Jovana, Jovanka, Vanja
Shona	Johani
Sicilian	Giuvanni, Giuanni	Giuvanna, Giuanna
Sinhala	ජුවාම් (Juwam), යොහාන් (Yohan)
Slovak	Ján, Johan	Jana, Johana
Slovene	Janez, Anže, Janž, Ivan, Johan, Ivo, Janko	Jana, Ivana, Ivanka, Johanca
Somali	Yaxye
Sorbian	Jan
Spanish	Juan, Joan, Giovanni, Iván, Nino	Juana, Joana, Giovanna, Ivana, Nina
Swahili	Yohana
Swedish	Jan, Johan, Johannes, John, Hans, Hannes, Jöns	Johanna, Hanna
Sylheti	ইয়াহিয়া (Iyahiya), জনি (Jony), হান্নান (Hannan)
Syriac	ܝܘܚܢܢ (Yuḥanon), ܚܢܐ (Ḥanna), ܐܝܘܢ (Ewan)
Tagalog	Juan, Dyon
Tajik	Яҳьё (Jahʹjo)
Tamil	யோவான் (Yovaan)
Telugu	యెాహాను Yohanu	యెాహన్న Yohanna
Thai	ยอห์น (Yaawn)
Tigrinya	ዮሓንስ (Yoḥannǝs)
Tongan	Sione
Turkish	Yahya, Yuhanna
Turkmen	Ёханна (Yohanna)
Ukrainian	Іван (Ivan), Іванко (Ivanko), Івась (Ivaś), Ян (Jan), Ясь (Jaś), Ваньо (Vanio)	Іванна (Ivanna), Іванка (Ivanka), Яна (Jana)
Urdu	یوحنا (Yúhanná)
Uzbek	Yahyo
Valencian	Joan	Joana
Venetian	Joàni, Xan, Xane, Zuane
Vietnamese	Dương, Giăng, Gioan
Walloon	Jan, Djihan
Welsh	Evan, Ianto, Ieuan, Ifan, Ioan, Iwan, Siôn	Siân, Sioned, Siwan
West Frisian	Jannes, Jenne
Yiddish	יוחנן‎ (Yoykhonen)
Yoruba	Johanu
Zulu	Johane

References

{{Cite EB1911
[https://www.etymonline.com/word/john ''John'' on ''Online Etymology Dictionary'']
Hoad, TF (ed), ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology'', 1993, Oxford University Press, p. 248a {{ISBN. 0-19-283098-8
(2006). "A Dictionary of First Names". [[Oxford University Press]].
"What Does the Name John Mean?".
Bauckham, Richard. (2006). "Jesus Christ and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony".
For example, [[Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol]].
Campbell, Mike. "Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name Jón". Behind the Name.
"Popular Baby Names". Ssa.gov.
"Top UK baby names 2004". Babycentre.co.uk.
(September 8, 2009). "National Statistics". Statistics.gov.uk.
(January 1, 2021). "Name John: Wolfram Alpha".
Faroe Media. "Málráðið".
[https://www.kotus.fi/nyt/kolumnit_artikkelit_ja_esitelmat/tiesitko_taman_%282004_2014%29/johanneksesta Kotus.fi]
"성경 (See e.g. Luke 1:13,60,63)". Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea.
www.netvalue.nz. "Hoani - Māori Dictionary".
(2011-03-21). "Whakapapa Club | Maori Genealogy Research @ whakapapa.maori.org.nz – Lists of Names for Whakapapa – Genealogy: Maori / English Name Translations". Whakapapa.maori.org.nz.
(1934). "Svenska Akademiens ordbok".

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