2 of 9

Write now Article Tools

JOHN

John is the English form of an extremely popular given name for males and the occasional female. It is also used as a surname, and as a patronymic such as Johnson. It is derived from the Hebrew name YOCHANAN, "Yahweh (God) is gracious", and was the name of several important Jewish rabbis, as well as Yochanan ben Zechariah (John the Baptist) and Yochanan ben Zibhdi (John, the beloved apostle of Jesus and author of the Gospel of John).

The name Yochanan was transliterated into Greek as Ioannes and Latinized as Johannes. Johannes became the Germanic Johann, the Slavic Ivan, the Irish Eoin, the Spanish Juan, and the French Jean. In the 11th century, William the conqueror brought the name to England
The name John was the number one name in England from the middle of the sixteenth to the middle of the twentieth century but was avoided by the English royal family as a harbinger of bad luck. King John, who signed the Magna Carta in 1250, was considered a villain, and two princes named John died at an early age.

John was the most popular name for male infants in the US until 1924, and has gradually fallen off since then. Could it be that the name conjured up visions of unidentified bodies labeled John Doe, the Johns who frequented prostitutes, the intoxicating John Barleycorn, and the toilet designed by John Harrington in 1596?

Hurricanes were named John in 1978, 1982 and 2006.

John 117 is the main character of the Halo video game series.

St. John (St. John's, Saint-Jean, or San Juan) can be found on maps of Canada, the United States, Virgin Islands, Spain, Mexico, and Argentina. June 24 is La Saint-Jean-Baptiste, the feast day of St. John the Baptist, which has been celebrated with great enthusiasm by French Canadians since 1842.

The St. John Ambulance Foundation, distinguished by the Maltese Cross, has 300,000 members in 42 countries, teaching first aid, CPR, and emergency preparedness, as well as assisting at public events.

St. John's Wort is a favorite herbal remedy for tension.

A SAMPLING OF FAMOUS JOHNS:
John Milton (December 8, 1608 - Nov. 8, 1674): British poet, pamphleteer, and historian, author of "Paradise Lost"

Johann Sebastian Bach (March 21, 1685 - July 28, 1750) Prolific German composer, invented equally-tempered scale

"Johnny Appleseed" Chapman (1774 - 1845) American pioneer and orchard owner

John MacIntosh (1777 - 1846): Canadian farmer who developed the MacIntosh apple

John Deere (Feb. 7, 1804 - May 17, 1886): blacksmith and manufacturer

John Labatt (Dec. 11, 1838 - April 27, 1915): Irish Canadian Brewer

Pope John XXIII (November 25, 1881 - June 3, 1963) 261st pope, convened the Second Vatican Council in 1962, beatified Sept. 3, 2000

John Sidney Blyth Barrymore (Feb. 15, 1882 - May 29, 1942) American actor, father of John Drew Barrymore

John Wayne (born Marion Robert Morrison, May 26, 1907 - June 11, 1979) actor

John F. Kennedy (May 29, 1917 - Nov. 22, 1963): Commander of USS PT-109, President of the United States

John Lennon (Oct, 9, 1940 - Dec. 8, 1980): English rock musician, song-writer, a founder of the Beatles, peace activist

A SELECTION OF NAME VARIANTS
John is commonly hyphenated, as in John-Michael, John-Carlo, Jean-Luc
Italian: Giovanni, Gianni
Spanish: Juan
French: Jean
Greek: Yannis
British/American: Johnny, Johnnie (but not Jon, which is related to Jonathan)
Dutch: Jan
German: Johann, Johannes, Hans, Hannes, Hanschen, Hansel
Czech: Johan
Portuguese: Joano
Scottish: Ian
Gaelic: Iain
Welsh: Evan, Sion
Irish: Sean, Shane, Shaun, Shawn
Russian: Ivan
Romanian: Ion
Feminine Forms: Johna, Johanna, Johanne, Johanneke, Joanna, Jaqueline, Jackie, Joan

Learn more about this author, Christine G..
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Behind the name: John?
We want to hear your view. Write now!