Johao
A Portuguese masculine name with unknown meaning or origin.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Johao. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Johao today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Johao births was 2007 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Johao. 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 Johao. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2007
6 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2007 SSA rank
#11,602
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Johao: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Johao 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 Johao 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 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Johao
The name Johao is a variant spelling of the more common John, which has its origins in the Hebrew name Yohanan or Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious". This name has been widely used across various cultures and regions throughout history.
The name Yohanan was first recorded in the Old Testament of the Bible, where it was borne by several figures, including John the Baptist, a Jewish preacher who baptized Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. The name gained popularity among early Christians as a result.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the variant spelling Johao can be found in medieval European records, where it was used as a variant of John, particularly in regions such as Spain and Portugal. This spelling may have emerged due to regional linguistic influences and variations in pronunciation.
Historically notable individuals named Johao include Johao de Aveiro, a 14th-century Portuguese nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the Portuguese conquest of the Algarve region. Another noteworthy figure was Johao de Castro, a 16th-century Portuguese explorer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Portuguese India from 1545 to 1548.
In the realm of literature, Johao Baptista de Castro, a 17th-century Portuguese poet and dramatist, was known for his contributions to the development of Baroque literature in Portugal. His works, such as "O Monstruo da Fortuna" and "Tambem ha Vizinho em Corte", explored themes of love, courtly life, and social satire.
Another notable figure was Johao da Nova, a 16th-century Portuguese navigator and explorer who is credited with discovering the island of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic Ocean in 1506. His voyages contributed to the expansion of Portuguese maritime exploration and trade routes during the Age of Discovery.
While the variant spelling Johao may have been more prevalent in certain regions and time periods, it remains a unique and historically significant form of the name John, reflecting the diverse cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped naming traditions across the globe.
People
Johao + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Johao 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
Johao: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Johao?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Johao 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Johao a common name?
We classify Johao as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Johao most popular?
The single biggest year for Johao was 2007, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Johao is about 21 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 Johao in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Johao a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Johao 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 Johao still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Johao 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 Johao 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 Johao?
Find out how many people have the name Johao on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.