John

John is a masculine given name of Hebrew origin. It derives from the Hebrew Yochanan, meaning “Yahweh is gracious” or “God is gracious.” The name passed into Greek as Ioannes and into Latin as Ioannes (Iohannes), from which the English form John developed. It has many language variants, including Juan (Spanish), Jean (French), Giovanni (Italian), Johannes (German), Jan (Dutch and Scandinavian), Ioan/Ion (Romanian), Ivan (Slavic), and João (Portuguese).

John has been a common name in Western Europe since the Middle Ages, aided by biblical figures such as John the Baptist and John the Apostle, as well as numerous saints and several popes. In English-speaking countries it has remained popular for centuries and continues to be widely used. The name has produced common nicknames, including Johnny and Jack, and it also appears in many compound or derived forms.

Variants and related forms appear across languages, and female forms include Joan, Joanna, and Jane. The name John is also used as a surname in many cultures. Notable bearers named John include John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States; John Lennon, the musician; John Steinbeck, the writer; and John Milton, the poet. Today, John remains a traditional, widely recognized name with enduring cultural reach in many parts of the world.