John (English)

Where does "John" come from?

The name John originates from the Biblical Hebrew name Yôḥānān, which translates to 'God is gracious.' Over centuries, it traveled through Koine Greek and Latin before evolving into the Old English and Anglo-Norman forms that eventually shaped the Middle English 'John.' It remains one of the world's most widespread names, shared through various linguistic cousins such as the Slavic Ivan, the Irish Sean, and the Italian Giovanni.

Full etymology tree

John (English), 'A male given name originating from the Bible [in turn from Hebrew]; very popular since the Middle Ages.'
- inherited John (Middle English), 'a male given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English John'
  - inherited Iohannes (Old English), 'John the Evangelist'
    - borrowed Iohannes (Latin), 'Late Latin form of Iōannēs'
      - borrowed Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs) (Ancient Greek), 'a male given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English John'
        borrowed יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān) (Biblical Hebrew)
        inherited יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān) (Biblical Hebrew)
  - borrowed Jehan (Old French), 'a male given name, equivalent to English John'
    - inherited Iohannes (Latin), 'Late Latin form of Iōannēs'
      - borrowed Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs) (Ancient Greek), 'a male given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English John'
        borrowed יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān) (Biblical Hebrew)
        inherited יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān) (Biblical Hebrew)

Direct ancestors

Updated June 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris