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Behind the Name - John

ETYMOLOGY:
John is a common Christian name for boys and men meaning 'Jehovah has favored'.

ORIGIN AND HISTORY:
The name John has a strong biblical history with roots from the Latin 'Johanne', which was derived from the Greek 'Ioannes', which in turn was derived from the Hebrew 'Yohanan' name of both John the Baptist and John the Apostle in the New Testament.

POPULARITY:
As the name of some of the original Christian saints, John was one of the most common Christian names , even rivaling William in popularity in England by the 15th century. Its popularity has endured even in recent times, remaining in the top 20 of popular baby names in the US, a rank it has maintained through all manner of social and cultural evolution, most likely due to its Biblical roots.

FASCINATING FACT:
Jack was originally a nickname of John and was the most popular name given to newborn boys in England and Wales between 1995-2005.

NAMESAKES:
John is the slang name for toilet or bathroom, used since the 16th century. It has also been used as the generic name for a prostitute's customer since 1911- probably from the common name they all identified themselves with so as to remain anonymous. It is the last of the four Gospels in the New Testament and the three Epistles, John I, II and III. There are numerous cities in the US with a name containing John, especially in the Midwest and the South- typically, 'the Bible-belt'. The word John Barleycorn is a personification of any intoxicating liquor

FAMOUS PERSONS:
Being such a common name there is an inexhaustible list of famous people named John.
It is a long-standing papal name used by twenty one Roman Catholic Popes ranging from the 6th century to the 20th century;
Pope John Paul I (1978)and II(1978-2005) were named after 2 popes John XXIII and Paul VI; Elton John born 1947- an English Rock singer and musician;
The Apostle John (1st century AD)- author of the Gospel of John, 3 Epistles, and the book of Revelation in the Bible;
John the Baptist (last century before Christ );
John King of England(1199-1216)who signed the Magna Carta, and was one of the least popular monarchs in English history;
John 'Johnny Appleseed' Chapman (1774-1845)- American pioneer and orchard owner.
Among fictional characters , there is John-117 the main character in the Halo video game and John from Cincinnati- TV character in an HBO show bearing the same name;
also the name John Doe is generically used to refer to any male person.

VARIATIONS:
Jon, Johnny, Jean (French),Johan, Jehan, Jan, Jen, Jensen (surname),Ioan (Welsh),Jones (Welsh surname), Joan (feminine),Johanna (Latin feminine)

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