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 asJohn Hamish Watson,a character from the mystery TV series Sherlock Holmes;John Reesefrom 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.
How To Pronounce John?
Famous People With The Name John
-
- John BoozmanAmerican politician and former optometrist serving as the senior United States senator.
- John Lee Carroll美国Democra的成员tic 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.
- 约翰亚设American 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 Administration约翰名字相似的声音
Did John’s sound appeal to you? Here are some more similar-sounding names that you can explore.
Popular Sibling Names For John
Other Popular Names Beginning With J
Names With Similar Meaning As John
Are you looking for more names that mean as lovely as John? Below are some suggestions to consider.
Infographic: Know The Name’s Personality As Per Numerology
How To Communicate The Name In Other Languages
In Nautical Flags
john
In Sign Language
john
In Braille Alphabet
john
In Morse Code
john
Name Numerology For John
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the meaning of the name John ?
The name john means and Eldest son of Saul,God is Benevolent,merciful and gracious
2. What is the origin of the name John?
John originates from the Cyprus, Ghana, Hebrew, Medieval English, Norman, Roman word .