How Many People Are Named John?
An estimated 2,941,241 people in the United States have the first name John, making it one of the 10 most popular first names in the country (ranked #3, behind Michael). It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 57 years old, and John peaked in popularity in 1947 with 88,524 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to David (2,847,418).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of John as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name John paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While John is overwhelmingly male, 21,740 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With over 2.9 million estimated living bearers, John is one of the most common first names in American history.
Estimated Living Americans
2,941,241
About 1 in 117 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.6% confidence
Average Age
57
years old
Peak Year
1947
88,524 births
Total Registered
5,196,210
since 1880
Gender Distribution for John
John is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 5,196,210 total births registered, 99.6% were male.
John as a male name
Ranked #21 in 2024
8,047 male births in 2024
Peak: 1947 (88,321 births)
John as a female name
Ranked #11,539 in 2024
8 female births in 2024
Peak: 1927 (440 births)
John: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for John span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 799,913 babies were registered. John has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
John by Decade
How has John tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 90,394 | 89,949 | 445 | |
| 1890s | 81,191 | 80,664 | 527 | |
| 1900s | 85,070 | 84,590 | 480 | |
| 1910s | 378,106 | 376,312 | 1,794 | |
| 1920s | 567,646 | 564,051 | 3,595 | |
| 1930s | 490,527 | 487,946 | 2,581 | |
| 1940s | 713,678 | 711,600 | 2,078 | |
| 1950s | 799,913 | 797,917 | 1,996 | |
| 1960s | 716,117 | 713,374 | 2,743 | |
| 1970s | 405,029 | 402,636 | 2,393 | |
| 1980s | 323,296 | 321,161 | 2,135 | |
| 1990s | 240,641 | 240,147 | 494 | |
| 2000s | 161,391 | 161,083 | 308 | |
| 2010s | 102,896 | 102,763 | 133 | |
| 2020s | 40,315 | 40,277 | 38 | |
John by State
Birth registrations for John span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Pennsylvania, California. The lowest are in Alaska, Wyoming, Nevada. On average, about 96,763 Johns were registered per state.
John + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with John as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to John
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
John: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named John?
We estimate approximately 2,941,241 people named John are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 117 Americans share this first name.
Is John a common name?
John is classified as "Very Common" and is more popular than 100% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 5,196,210 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was John most popular?
John reached peak popularity in 1947, when 88,524 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named John is approximately 57 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is John a male name?
John is predominantly male. 99.6% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many John Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: John Smith, John Johnson, John Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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