Johaniel
A masculine name derived from Hebrew meaning "God is merciful".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Johaniel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Johaniel today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Johaniel births was 2018 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Johaniel. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Johaniel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2018
5 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2018 SSA rank
#13,073
Tracked since 2018
Popularity
Johaniel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Johaniel by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Johaniel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Johaniel
The name Johaniel has its origins in Hebrew and can be traced back to ancient religious texts. It is a combination of two Hebrew words: "Yah" meaning "God" and "el" meaning "strength" or "power". The name is believed to have been derived from the biblical name "Yohanan", which translates to "Yahweh is gracious".
Johaniel is often considered an angelic name, appearing in various religious texts and scriptures. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, Johaniel is mentioned as one of the seven archangels who guard the seven heavens. The name is also associated with the angel of the fourth heaven, who is said to protect and guide those who seek truth and wisdom.
The earliest recorded usage of the name Johaniel can be found in the Book of Enoch, an ancient Jewish text from the third century BCE. The name is also mentioned in various apocryphal texts and religious writings throughout the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest notable figures to bear the name Johaniel was a Judeo-Arabic philosopher and writer from the 11th century CE, known as Johaniel Ben Isaac. He was a prominent figure in the Jewish community of Cordoba, Spain, and wrote extensively on topics ranging from philosophy to mathematics.
Another significant figure in history with the name Johaniel was a 13th-century Italian monk and scholar, Johaniel of Palermo. He was renowned for his knowledge of theology and contributed to the translation of various religious texts from Greek and Arabic into Latin.
In the 16th century, Johaniel Becker was a German theologian and reformer who played a role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and contributed to the translation of the Bible into German.
During the 17th century, Johaniel Söderström was a Swedish explorer and cartographer who was instrumental in mapping the northern regions of Scandinavia. His maps and records provided valuable insights into the geography and indigenous cultures of the area.
In more recent times, Johaniel Pinheiro was a Brazilian artist and sculptor from the 20th century. He was known for his unique style and his ability to capture the essence of Brazilian culture through his art.
People
Johaniel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Johaniel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Johaniel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Johaniel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Johaniel going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Johaniel a common name?
We classify Johaniel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Johaniel most popular?
The single biggest year for Johaniel was 2018, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Johaniel is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Johaniel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Johaniel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Johaniel in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Johaniel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Johaniel in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Johaniel can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Johaniel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.