2000
#25,633
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 904
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Rare Last name
Johann
A German surname derived from the Hebrew personal name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,066 Americans carry the last name Johann. That puts it at #27,452 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 321,533 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Johann surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 321,533
Census rank
#27,452
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
930
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 930 bearers of the surname Johann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27452nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Johann, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Johann
The surname Johann originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Johannes, which itself comes from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Graced by God" or "Yahweh is gracious". The name Johannes was brought to Germany by Christian missionaries and became popular during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Johann as a surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany. In this collection, a certain "Johannes de Vogelwitz" is mentioned in a document dated 1281. This suggests that the surname Johann had already emerged by the late 13th century.
Another early reference to the surname Johann can be found in the Deutsches Stadtebuch, a compilation of records from various German cities. In this work, a "Johann Ziegler" is recorded as a resident of the city of Nürnberg in 1363.
During the Renaissance period, several notable individuals with the surname Johann emerged. One of the most famous was Johann Gutenberg (c. 1400-1468), the inventor of the printing press and a pioneer of the movable type printing revolution. Another prominent figure was Johann Reuchlin (1455-1522), a German Renaissance humanist and scholar who played a crucial role in the early stages of the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, Johann Kepler (1571-1630), a German mathematician, astronomer, and key figure in the scientific revolution, made significant contributions to the understanding of planetary motion and the laws of physics. Around the same time, Johann Crüger (1598-1662), a German poet and composer, wrote numerous hymns that became widely popular in Lutheran churches.
Moving into the 18th century, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), arguably one of the greatest composers of all time, left an indelible mark on the world of classical music. His works, including the Brandenburg Concertos and the Mass in B Minor, are considered masterpieces of the Baroque era.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the surname Johann throughout history. The name has a rich heritage and has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including scientists, artists, and religious figures, reflecting the broad reach and influence of German culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Johann
Among Census respondents with the surname Johann, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Johann bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Johann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 804
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 52
- Two or more races3.7% · 34
- Black or African American1.8% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Johann
Johann appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#25,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 962
+58 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Down 7 places
2020
#27,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 930
-32 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 1,812 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,633 | 904 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,640 | 962 | 0.33 | +58 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 7 places |
| 2020 | #27,452 | 930 | 0.31 | -32 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 1,812 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Johann surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #25,640 | #27,452 | -7.1% |
| Count | 962 | 930 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.33 | 0.31 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Johann bearers went from 962 to 930 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 1,812 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,640 to #27,452.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Johann
FAQ
Johann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Johann?
Name Census estimates that about 1,066 living Americans carry the surname Johann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 321,533 residents.
How common is Johann?
Johann ranks #27,452 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 930 people with the surname Johann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,066), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Johann.
Has Johann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Johann went from 962 recorded bearers to 930. That is a decrease of 32 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #25,640 to #27,452.
What does the Census say about the background of Johann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Johann, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Johann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (804 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Johann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Hispanic (5.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Johann (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Johann mean?
A German surname derived from the Hebrew personal name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Johann (0.31 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Johann?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.