Johnwesley
Person favored by God and methodical in religious devotion.
Name Census estimates that about 85 living Americans carry the first name Johnwesley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Johnwesley today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Johnwesley births was 1998 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Johnwesley. 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 Johnwesley. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
85
~ 1 in 4,032,404 Americans
Peak year
1998
10 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,558
Tracked since 1986
Popularity
Johnwesley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Johnwesley from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 29 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Johnwesley remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Johnwesley 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 Johnwesley 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 Johnwesley
Johnwesley is a unique given name that appears to be derived from a combination of the common English names John and Wesley. Historically, the name John has its origins in the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Graced by God." The name Wesley, on the other hand, is an English surname that evolved from the Old English words "west" and "leah," meaning "west meadow" or "western clearing."
The name Johnwesley does not seem to have any ancient or religious roots, as it is likely a modern combination of the two distinct names. However, it is worth exploring the historical significance of the individual components, John and Wesley.
John is a name with a long and rich history, appearing in various religious texts and historical records. One of the most notable figures bearing this name is John the Baptist, a Jewish preacher and a forerunner of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Additionally, there have been numerous prominent individuals named John throughout history, such as John Locke (1632-1704), the English philosopher, and John Lennon (1940-1980), the renowned musician and member of the Beatles.
The name Wesley is closely associated with the Wesley family, particularly John Wesley (1703-1791) and his brother Charles Wesley (1707-1788), who were instrumental in the founding of the Methodist movement within the Church of England. John Wesley is considered the principal founder of Methodism, and his influence on Christianity and social reform was significant.
Other notable figures with the first name Wesley include Wesley Snipes (born 1962), an American actor, and Wesley Crusher, a fictional character from the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.
While the combination of John and Wesley as Johnwesley is relatively uncommon, it is possible that some individuals have chosen to combine these two names for personal or cultural reasons. However, given the lack of historical records or widespread usage, it is difficult to ascertain the specific origins or meaning behind the amalgamation of these two names.
People
Johnwesley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Johnwesley 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
Johnwesley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Johnwesley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 85 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Johnwesley 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 4,032,404 US residents.
Is Johnwesley a common name?
We classify Johnwesley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 86 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Johnwesley most popular?
The single biggest year for Johnwesley was 1998, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Johnwesley 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 Johnwesley in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Johnwesley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Johnwesley 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 Johnwesley still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Johnwesley 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 Johnwesley 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 Johnwesley as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.