Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Johnny?
Births per year, rank history and how many Johnnies are alive today.
Johnny (male) is a shortened form of the name John (and sometimes of Jenson). Although Johnny itself was given to 89 babies in England and Wales in 2025 (ranked 438th as a registered name), most Johnnies are registered as John, which ranked 174th in 2025 with 296 babies.
Most people called Johnny are registered as John, and share that name's profile: the John you are most likely to meet is around 80 years old. Half of all Johns born in England and Wales are between 57 and 80, and there are at least 760,000 of them alive today. Only some Johns go by Johnny.
How many babies are named Johnny or John each year?
Combined registrations of John, Johnny. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does John rank as a registered name?
Where does Johnny rank as a registered name?
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
Is Johnny short for John?
Yes - Johnny is a shortened form of John. It is also used for Jenson. Johnnies are usually registered as John at birth.
When was the name Johnny most popular?
The full name John peaked in 1914, when around 36,300 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Johnny itself peaked as a registered name in 2016, with 121 babies.
How many people are called Johnny?
There's no official count of people who go by Johnny, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 760,000 people registered as John born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Johnny.
How old is the typical Johnny?
Most people called Johnny are registered as John. Most living Johns are between 57 and 80; the most common age is about 80.
Is Johnny becoming more or less popular?
Declining: recent figures are a fraction of the 1914 peak.