Find out how popular the last name St. 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 St. John.

St. 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 St. John surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of St. John in America

St. John is the 2303rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The St. John surname appeared 15,843 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname St. John.

We can also compare 2010 data for St. 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 St. John

The surname STJOHN originated in England and dates back to the 12th century. It derives from the Norman-French name "St. John," referring to someone who lived near a church or monastery dedicated to St. John the Baptist or St. John the Evangelist.

The name is found in various early records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Sancto Johanne." This suggests that some of the earliest bearers were Norman landowners who settled in England after the Conquest of 1066.

As the name spread throughout England, it took on various spellings like Sinjohn, Sinjun, and Singjon. Some early examples include Robert de Sancto Johanne, who held lands in Lincolnshire in 1199, and William de Seint Johan, a landowner in Somerset in 1243.

Notable individuals with the surname STJOHN include Sir Oliver St. John (c. 1598-1673), a prominent English politician and lawyer who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland, and James Augustus St. John (1801-1875), an American writer and traveler known for his works on Egypt and the Middle East.

Other historical figures include Henry St. John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (1678-1751), an influential English philosopher and political leader, and Sir James St. John (c. 1571-1637), a British military officer who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland.

The surname is also associated with several place names, such as St. John's Wood in London, which derives from the Knights of the Order of St. John who owned land there in the 12th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name St. John

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname St. 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 St. 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 St. 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 St. 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 St. John, please contact us.

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