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

Johnny, 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 Johnny surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Johnny in America

Johnny is the 34149th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Johnny surname appeared 665 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Johnny.

We can also compare 2010 data for Johnny 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 Johnny

The surname Johnny is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely around the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to have derived from the personal name John, which itself has Hebrew origins meaning "Yahweh is gracious." The name John was widespread in medieval England and was often adapted into various spellings and diminutive forms, such as Johnny.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Johnny can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which lists a certain William Johnny. The surname also appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379, mentioning a Thomas Johnny. These early records suggest that the name was in use across different regions of England by the late medieval period.

The Johnny surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire, where it is believed to have originated from various place names containing the element "John." For example, the village of Johnby in Cumbria or the town of Johnshaven in Scotland may have contributed to the formation of the surname in these areas.

One notable historical figure with the surname Johnny was Sir William Johnny, a 15th-century English landowner and knight from Gloucestershire. He was born around 1420 and served as a member of Parliament for the county in 1460.

Another prominent individual was Richard Johnny, a 16th-century English merchant and civic leader from York. He served as the Lord Mayor of York in 1579 and was instrumental in the city's trade and governance during the Elizabethan era.

In the 17th century, the Johnny surname can be found in various parish records and legal documents across England. One example is Thomas Johnny, a farmer from Oxfordshire who was mentioned in a land dispute case in 1642.

During the 18th century, the Johnny surname continued to be present in English records, with individuals such as John Johnny, a successful businessman from Yorkshire who lived from 1725 to 1798.

As the centuries progressed, the Johnny surname spread beyond England to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to other parts of the world through immigration and colonization. Despite its relatively uncommon nature, the name has persisted over time and continues to be found in various regions across the globe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Johnny

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

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 Johnny 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 Johnny 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 Johnny was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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