Johnson
From English roots meaning "son of John".
Name Census estimates that about 4,596 living Americans carry the first name Johnson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Johnson today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Johnson births was 2000 (111 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Johnson. 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
4.6K
~ 1 in 74,577 Americans
Peak year
2000
111 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,547
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Johnson
Out of the 7,009 babies given the name Johnson since 1880, 99.7% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Johnson as a male name
- Ranked #3,547 in 2024
- 32 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2000 (111 births)
Johnson as a female name
- Ranked #12,099 in 1987
- 5 female births in 1987
- Peak: 1917 (6 births)
Popularity
Johnson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Johnson from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 884 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Johnson 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 Johnson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Johnsons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 22 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Johnson, while Utah, New Jersey, Hawaii recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 117 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Johnson
The name Johnson is an English name derived from the personal name John, which has its origins in the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Graced by God" or "Yahweh is gracious." The suffix "-son" is an English patronymic, indicating that the bearer is the son of someone named John.
In the Middle Ages, the name Johnson emerged as a common surname in England, often given to the son of a man named John. It was particularly prevalent in areas with a strong tradition of using patronymic surnames, such as the northern counties of England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Johnson can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Jonesson," reflecting the Old English spelling.
The name Johnson has a long history in English literature and culture. In the 16th century, the playwright Ben Jonson (1572-1637) was a prominent figure in the English Renaissance. His works, such as "Volpone" and "The Alchemist," are considered classics of English drama.
In the 18th century, Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) was a renowned English writer, critic, and lexicographer. His "Dictionary of the English Language," published in 1755, was a landmark achievement and a significant contribution to the standardization of the English language.
Other notable individuals with the name Johnson include Andrew Johnson (1808-1875), the 17th President of the United States; Jack Johnson (1878-1946), the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion; and Virginia Johnson (1925-2013), a pioneering American sexologist and researcher.
Throughout history, the name Johnson has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scientists, politicians, and athletes. Its enduring popularity can be attributed to its strong English roots and its association with notable historical figures.
People
Johnson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Johnson 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
Johnson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Johnson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,596 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Johnson 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 74,577 US residents.
Is Johnson a common name?
We classify Johnson as "Rare". It ranks above 96.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7,009 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Johnson most popular?
The single biggest year for Johnson was 2000, when 111 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Johnson is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Johnson a male name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Johnson 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.
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.