Johnson (English)

Where does "Johnson" come from?

The English surname Johnson is a patronymic formation combining 'John' with the suffix '-son', literally translating to 'son of John'[1]. The given name 'John' itself descends through Middle English and Anglo-Norman or Old English forms from Late Latin 'Iohannes', which came from Koine Greek 'Ἰωάννης'[2][3]. The Greek name originates from Biblical Hebrew 'יוֹחָנָן', meaning 'God is gracious'[2][7].

Full etymology tree

• Johnson (English), 'A patrilineal surname transferred from the given name. The second most common surname in the United States.'
  • affix 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 Jehan (Anglo-Norman)
        • borrowed Iohannes (Latin), 'Late Latin form of Iōannēs'
          • derived Ioannes (Latin), 'a male given name from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs) [in turn from Biblical Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān, “God is gracious”)], equivalent to English John'
            • borrowed Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs) (Koine Greek)
              • borrowed יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān) (Biblical Hebrew)
                • compound יְהוֹ־ (yeho-) (Biblical Hebrew)
                • compound חנן (khanán) (Biblical Hebrew)
                • derived יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān) (Biblical Hebrew)
  • suffix -son (English), 'Added to a stem (usually a given name or surname) to form a patronymic or matronymic surname.'

Ancestors

• John (English)
• -son (English)

Cognates and doublets

• Hansen (English)
• Jansen (English)
• Johansen (English)
• Johansson (English)

Descendants and derived words

• Averch-Johnson effect (English)
• Dick Johnson (English)
• Dubin-Johnson syndrome (English)
• Johnson bar (English)
• Johnson City (English)
• Johnson County (English)
• Johnsonese (English)
• Johnson grass (English)
• Johnson hole (English)
• Johnsonian (English)
• Johnsonian (English)
• Johnsoniana (English)

Related words

• Taylor (English)

Sources

1. Johnson (English) - Wiktionary
2. John (English) - Wiktionary
3. John (Middle English) - Wiktionary
4. Ἰωάννης (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
5. Ioannes (Latin) - Wiktionary
6. Iohannes (Old English) - Wiktionary
7. יוחנן (Hebrew) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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