Johnnetta
A feminine name of unknown origin, perhaps a compound of John and a diminutive.
Name Census estimates that about 349 living Americans carry the first name Johnnetta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Johnnetta today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Johnnetta births was 1979 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Johnnetta. 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.
People living today
349
~ 1 in 982,104 Americans
Peak year
1979
18 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1997 SSA rank
#14,769
Tracked since 1946
Popularity
Johnnetta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Johnnetta from the 1940s through to the 1990s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 123 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Johnnetta remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Johnnetta 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 Johnnetta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Johnnetta
The name Johnnetta is an English feminine given name derived from the combination of the male name John and the French feminine suffix -ette. John comes from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious." The suffix -ette is a diminutive form, essentially creating a feminine version of John.
The name Johnnetta gained popularity in the 20th century, particularly in the United States. It is often considered a variation of the name Jeanette, which has French origins and a similar diminutive form of the name Jean, derived from John.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Johnnetta dates back to the late 19th century. Johnnetta Milbach Richards, born in 1887 in Ohio, was a American educator and author. She wrote several books on education and child development.
Johnnetta Betsch Cole, born in 1936, is a prominent American anthropologist and educator. She served as the first African American president of Spelman College from 1987 to 1997 and later as the president of Bennett College from 2002 to 2007.
Johnnetta Gracy Randolph, born in 1942, is an American politician and activist. She served as the first African American woman to be elected to the Ohio State Senate, representing the 15th district from 1993 to 2003.
Johnnetta Patton, born in 1954, is an American educator and administrator. She served as the vice president for student affairs at the University of Chicago from 1994 to 2005 and later as the vice president for campus life at Emory University.
Johnnetta B. Edmondson, born in 1950, is an American academic and administrator. She served as the dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania from 1992 to 2000 and later as the vice president for student affairs at the University of Minnesota.
While the name Johnnetta has its roots in the English language, it has gained popularity across various cultures and ethnicities, particularly in the United States. It is a unique and distinctive name that combines the traditional male name John with a feminine twist.
People
Johnnetta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Johnnetta 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
Johnnetta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Johnnetta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 349 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Johnnetta 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 982,104 US residents.
Is Johnnetta a common name?
We classify Johnnetta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 399 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Johnnetta most popular?
The single biggest year for Johnnetta was 1979, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Johnnetta is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Johnnetta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Johnnetta in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.