John Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

John Name Meaning: This popular name originally comes from the Hebrew name 'Yohanan', meaning 'gift of God', 'The Lord has Favored', 'HaShem is gracious'.

This common religious name was often given in respect of St John the Baptist and of St John the Evangelist along with many other Christian saints and also became popular after the Crusades. It is one of the most popular names in Europe.

Discover how your John ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.

Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Buckinghamshire 20
Brecknockshire 29
Cambridgeshire 42
Cardiganshire 126
Channel Islands 31
Cheshire 13
Carmarthenshire 1,271
Cornwall 190
Cumberland 5
Derbyshire 4
Denbighshire 6
Devon 144
Dorset 14
Durham 1,241
Essex 52
Flintshire 7
Glamorgan 3,130
Gloucestershire 61
Hampshire 55
Herefordshire 4
Hertfordshire 15
Hunts and Rutland 7
Isle of Man 2
Kent 40
Lancashire 106
Leicestershire 16
Lincolnshire 54
London 271
Middlesex 26
Merionethshire 1
Montgomeryshire 79
Monmouthshire 223
Northumberland 10
Norfolk 85
Northamptonshire 26
Nottinghamshire 28
Oxfordshire 13
Pembrokeshire 2,910
Shropshire 23
Suffolk 65
Somerset 68
Surrey 18
Sussex 30
Staffordshire 26
Warwickshire 33
Wiltshire 11
Worcestershire 45
Yorkshire 67
Anglesey 0
Bedfordshire 0
Berkshire 0
Carnarvonshire 0
Radnorshire 0
Westmorland 0

John Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the John family

Profession Census Frequency
Agricultural Labourer 690
Female Servant 548
Labourer 289
Farmer 280
Independent 261
Male Servant 241
Collier 197
Shoe Maker 90
Mariner 72
Mason 71
Carpenter 70
Blacksmith 63
Shipwright 59
Tailor 46
Pauper 43
Copperman 37
Pitman 32
Miner 31
Smith 30
Publican 29
Coal Miner 24
Joiner 24
Servant 23
Butcher 21
Dress Maker 20

Most Frequent Forenames for John

Name Census Frequency
Mary John 8,423
William John 7,759
John John 6,339
Thomas John 6,035
David John 4,459
Elizabeth John 4,440
Margaret John 3,239
Ann John 2,866
Sarah John 2,778
James John 2,023
Martha John 1,857
Jane John 1,612
Catherine John 1,480
Henry John 1,186
Hannah John 1,129
Anne John 1,026
George John 1,014
Evan John 999
Richard John 948
Edward John 896
Daniel John 884
Annie John 848
Benjamin John 793
Eliza John 674
Joseph John 645

John Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 John 100% 96,433
2 Jehan 60% 794
3 Jon 75% 424
4 Johan 80% 253
5 Jehn 75% 105

Did you know?

The surname John is the most popular version of all its varients

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