Find out how popular the last name John is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named John.

John, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the John surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of John in America

John is the 1034th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The John surname appeared 33,543 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname John.

We can also compare 2010 data for John to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name John

The surname John is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is derived from the personal name John, which itself is derived from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious." The surname likely originated as a patronymic, indicating "son of John."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname John is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. Several individuals with the surname John are listed in this historical record.

In the 12th century, the surname John appeared in various forms, such as Jon, Jone, and Johnes, reflecting the evolving spelling conventions of the time. These variations persisted until the 16th century when the modern spelling of John became more standardized.

Notable individuals with the surname John throughout history include Roger John (c. 1170-1239), a medieval English theologian and philosopher who served as Bishop of Norwich. Another prominent figure was Sir William John (c. 1330-1407), an English military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was knighted for his service.

During the Tudor period, the surname John was associated with several notable figures, including John Leland (c. 1506-1552), an English antiquarian and scholar who played a significant role in preserving historical manuscripts and records. Sir John Hawkins (1532-1595) was an English naval commander and slave trader who played a pivotal role in the early English exploration of the West Indies and the Spanish Main.

In the 17th century, Samuel John (1630-1698) was an English Baptist minister and theologian who made significant contributions to the development of Baptist theology. During the same period, Sir John Vanbrugh (1664-1726) gained recognition as an English architect, dramatist, and principal deputy governor of the Royal African Company, which held a monopoly on the English slave trade.

The 18th century saw the rise of John Wesley (1703-1791), the renowned Anglican cleric and theologian who played a pivotal role in the Methodist movement. John Wilkes (1725-1797) was a British radical, journalist, and politician who championed the rights of free speech and was a key figure in the Wilkes riots of the 1760s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name John

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname John.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for John was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of John has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name John was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of John, please contact us.

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