Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name John?
Births per year, rank history and how many Johns are alive today.
John (male) sits just outside the top 100 boys' names in England and Wales, ranked 174th in 2025 with 296 babies given the name. The name peaked in 1914, when it was the most popular boys' name outright, given to around 36,300 babies. It was almost as popular in 1944, with around 32,700 babies given the name that year. It has declined since 1914; the 2025 figure is roughly 1% of its peak. Numbers have been falling in recent years. At least 1,900,000 babies have been named John in England and Wales since 1904. Figures before 1996 are estimates. Common short forms of John include Jack, Jax and Johnny.
The John you are most likely to meet is around 80 years old. Half of all Johns born in England and Wales are between 58 and 80, and there are at least 760,000 of them alive today. If you walk into a room of 100 males, there's roughly a 92% chance that at least one of them will be called John.
How many babies are named John each year?
Where does John rank among boys' names?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
When was the name John most popular?
John peaked in 1914, when around 36,300 babies in England and Wales were given the name.
How many people are called John?
At least 760,000 people named John born in England and Wales are alive today.
How old is the typical John?
Most living Johns are between 58 and 80; the most common age is about 80.
Is John becoming more or less popular?
Declining: recent figures are a fraction of the 1914 peak.