Male name
John
22,536 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 1996. Expression number: 2.
Origin
From Middle English John, Johan, Johannes, from Anglo-Norman Jehan, Johan, and also Old English Iohannes, both from Late Latin Iōhannēs, variant of Latin Iōannēs, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Biblical Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān), perhaps contracted from a former יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān, “God is gracious”). Doublet of Jack, Jon, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Sean, Shane, Shaun, Ian, Ivan, Evan, Juan, Giovanni, and Yahya.From Wiktionary, entry “John”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Do you know a John?
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How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 1996: 1,649 births. 22,536 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. At its peak, it ranked 46th among boys' names in 1996. It is still given: 1,653 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 1947: 88,527 births. 5,204,377 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given steadily, decade after decade, from the 1910s to the 1980s. At its peak, it ranked 1st among boys' names in 1880. It is still given: 40,140 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
In Ireland
Peak in 1964: 3,696 births. 73,225 births from 1964 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. At its peak, it ranked 1st among boys' names in 1964. It is still given: 842 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names, CC BY 4.0.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 14,540 | 1900–2025 | — |
| Switzerland | 4,262* | 1915–2025 | — |
| Quebec | 1,678 | 1980–2025 | — |
| Argentina | 1,048 | 2012–2023 | — |
| Berlin | 658 | 2012–2023 | 87th in 2014 |
| Austria | 461 | 1984–2025 | — |
| Belgium | 34 | 2014–2023 | — |
* These are the people living in the country, counted by year of birth, not the number of births.
Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms, Etalab Open Licence 2.0; Federal Statistical Office, First names of the population by year of birth, free use with attribution; Retraite Québec, Banque de prénoms, CC BY 4.0; RENAPER, Nombres propios en Argentina, CC BY 4.0 (the registry doesn't record sex); Open Data Berlin, Häufige Vornamen, CC BY 3.0 DE (every name a child carries, not only the first); Statistik Austria, Vornamen, CC BY 4.0; Statbel, first names of newborns, CC BY 4.0 (one total for the whole period, no yearly breakdown).
The numbers of the name
Each letter has a value: A = 1, B = 2… I = 9, then J = 1 again (Pythagorean method). We add them up, then reduce to a single digit, except 11, 22 and 33.
■ vowel · ■ consonant
Expression
All the letters: talents, the way you act.
2
cooperation, sensitivity, connection
1 + 6 + 8 + 5 = 20 → 2
Soul
The vowels: what drives you deep down.
6
responsibility, harmony, commitment to others
6 = 6
Personality
The consonants: what others notice first.
5
freedom, change, movement
1 + 8 + 5 = 14 → 5
- Digits missing from the name
- 2, 3, 4, 7, 9
- Most frequent digit
- 1 · initiative, independence, beginnings
The meaning of the numbers comes from numerological tradition; it isn't a measure of your personality. A full portrait needs your first and middle names, your last name at birth, and your date of birth. How we calculate
Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.