Johanson
A Scandinavian masculine name derived from Johannes, meaning "God is gracious".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Johanson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Johanson today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Johanson births was 2008 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Johanson. 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 Johanson. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2008
5 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2008 SSA rank
#13,502
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Johanson: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Johanson 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 Johanson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Johanson
Johanson is a given name with its origins rooted in the Scandinavian languages, specifically derived from the combination of the Hebrew name "Yohanan" and the Old Norse suffix "-son." The name Yohanan, which means "Yahweh is gracious," was a popular name among the ancient Israelites and later adopted by various cultures across Europe.
In the Viking Age, spanning from the late 8th century to the late 11th century, the use of patronymic surnames, which incorporated the father's name with the suffix "-son," became prevalent in Scandinavia. This practice gave rise to names like Johanson, indicating the bearer was the son of a man named Johan, the Scandinavian form of John.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Johanson can be traced back to medieval Scandinavia, particularly in regions such as Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. While the name's specific origins are obscure, it is believed to have been a common name among the peasant and working-class populations of these regions.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Johanson. One of the earliest recorded figures was Johan Johanson (c. 1330-1390), a Swedish cleric and Archbishop of Uppsala from 1381 until his death. In the 16th century, Johan Johanson Gårdstanger (c. 1520-1592) was a Swedish military commander and governor of Kalmar Castle.
Moving forward in time, Johan August Johanson (1822-1888) was a Swedish writer and poet known for his contributions to the Romantic literary movement. Meanwhile, Johan Johanson Hedenskog (1787-1865) was a Swedish farmer and political activist who advocated for the rights of the peasantry.
Across the Atlantic, one of the most well-known individuals with the name Johanson was Johan Alfred Johanson (1892-1966), a Swedish-American artist and painter known for his landscape and portraiture works. His contemporary, Johan Johanson (1864-1935), was a Swedish-American civil engineer who played a significant role in the construction of the Panama Canal.
While the name Johanson has its roots firmly planted in Scandinavian culture and history, it has since spread and been adopted by various cultures and ethnicities around the world, reflecting the diverse and interconnected nature of human societies.
People
Johanson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Johanson 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
Johanson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Johanson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Johanson 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 Johanson a common name?
We classify Johanson 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 Johanson most popular?
The single biggest year for Johanson was 2008, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Johanson is about 18 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 Johanson in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Johanson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Johanson 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 Johanson still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Johanson 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 Johanson 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 have the name Johanson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.