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At a Glance: Name: John – Meaning: Yahweh has shown favor (God is gracious) – Origin: Hebrew – Gender: Boy – Pronunciation: JAHN
John is a Hebrew name, pronounced JAHN, meaning "Yahweh has shown favor" — God is gracious. It has a clean, simple sound that feels equally at home in any decade, which is part of why it has stuck around for so long.
Meaning & Origin of John
Meaning: Yahweh has shown favor (god is gracious).
Origin: Hebrew.
Source: Wiktionary, Wikipedia.
How to Pronounce John
Phonetic: JAHN IPA: /ˈdʒɑːn/
Popularity of John
John sat at #1 among boys' names in 1880, given to 9,655 babies that year, and it's still holding strong more than a century later at #21 in 2024 with 8,047 babies given the name.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1880–2024.
Make John Name Art
Free printable nursery art for John, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
Names With a Similar Story
Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.
FAQ
What does the name John mean?
Yahweh has shown favor (god is gracious). (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/John)
How do you pronounce John?
John is pronounced JAHN (IPA: /ˈdʒɑːn/).
Is John a popular name right now?
John peaked at #1 in 1880 and is ranked #21 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1880–2024.)
📊 How popular is John? See the full popularity history, trend data, and ranking since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.
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