John
Boy name · #23 in 2025 · Very well-known
John ranks #23 among American boys' names as of 2025, with 8,027 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #26, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 224 boys born in 2025 was named John.
The 145-year story
John first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 9,655 boys received the name. Its peak came in 1947, when 88,324 boys were named John — good for #3 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named John per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare John against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another John in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common John is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very well-known". A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where John is most common
Geography matters for names, and John is no exception. Adjusted for how many boys are born in each state, John is most common in AL (16 per 1,000), MS (14 per 1,000), WY (14 per 1,000), DC (13 per 1,000), RI (13 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 5.5 per 1,000 boys. These are per-capita rates, so they show where John is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like John
Statistically, parents drawn to John tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Joseph, James, David, Thomas, and Michael.
JosephJamesDavidThomasMichaelCharlesWilliamRobert
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named John | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8,027 | #23 |
| 2024 | 8,087 | #21 |
| 2023 | 7,804 | #26 |
| 2022 | 8,001 | #26 |
| 2021 | 8,186 | #27 |
| 2020 | 8,265 | #27 |
| 2019 | 8,863 | #28 |
| 2018 | 9,204 | #26 |
| 2017 | 9,536 | #27 |
| 2016 | 10,060 | #28 |
| 2015 | 10,423 | #26 |
| 2014 | 10,701 | #26 |
| 2013 | 10,739 | #27 |
| 2012 | 10,638 | #28 |
| 2011 | 11,068 | #27 |
| 2010 | 11,568 | #26 |
| 2009 | 12,133 | #26 |
| 2008 | 13,336 | #20 |
| 2007 | 14,447 | #19 |
| 2006 | 15,177 | #19 |
| 2005 | 15,796 | #18 |
| 2004 | 16,470 | #17 |
| 2003 | 17,249 | #17 |
| 2002 | 17,477 | #17 |
| 2001 | 18,904 | #14 |
Frequently asked questions
Is John a popular boy name?
John ranked #23 among boys in 2025 with 8,027 babies given the name — firmly in the top 100, so yes, it’s a popular choice. Ten years earlier it ranked #26.
When was the name John most popular?
John peaked in 1947, when 88,324 American boys received the name (ranked #3 that year). Since 1947 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name John?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 224 newborn American boys was named John. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very well-known".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.