Johnnita
Derived from Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "God is gracious."
Name Census estimates that about 31 living Americans carry the first name Johnnita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Johnnita today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Johnnita births was 1978 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Johnnita. 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 Johnnita. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
31
~ 1 in 11,056,592 Americans
Peak year
1978
7 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
1996 SSA rank
#12,528
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Johnnita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Johnnita from the 1960s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 16 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Johnnita 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 Johnnita 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 Johnnita
The name Johnnita is a feminine given name believed to have its origins in the English language. Its roots can be traced back to the medieval era, specifically around the 13th century. The name is thought to be a combination of the name John, which itself has Hebrew origins meaning "Yahweh is gracious," and the feminine suffix "-ita," which was commonly used during that time to denote a feminine variant of a masculine name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Johnnita can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. In this historical document, there is a record of a landowner named Johnnita de Twyford, who held estates in the English county of Hampshire.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Johnnita was primarily used by the nobility and upper classes in England. It is believed that the name gained popularity among these social strata due to its association with the biblical name John, which was widely revered in Christian circles.
In the 16th century, during the reign of King Henry VIII, a notable figure bearing the name Johnnita was Lady Johnnita Seymour, a member of the influential Seymour family. She was born in 1508 and was a distant cousin of Queen Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII.
Another historical figure with the name Johnnita was Johnnita Winthrop, born in 1598. She was the daughter of John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and played a significant role in the early settlement of New England.
In the 18th century, Johnnita Austen, born in 1775, was a distant relative of the renowned novelist Jane Austen. She was known for her literary works, which included several published poems and essays.
During the Victorian era, Johnnita Nightingale, born in 1820, was a prominent figure in the field of nursing. She worked alongside Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, and made significant contributions to improving healthcare practices in England.
While the name Johnnita has its roots in the English language, it has also been adopted and used in various other cultures and regions throughout history. However, it has remained a relatively uncommon name, especially in more recent times.
People
Johnnita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Johnnita 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
Johnnita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Johnnita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 31 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Johnnita 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 11,056,592 US residents.
Is Johnnita a common name?
We classify Johnnita as "Very Rare". It ranks above 47% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 33 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Johnnita most popular?
The single biggest year for Johnnita was 1978, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Johnnita is about 42 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 Johnnita in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Johnnita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Johnnita 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.
Is Johnnita still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Johnnita 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 Johnnita 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 Americans are named Johnnita?
Find out how many Americans are named Johnnita on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.