Johnson (English)
Where does "Johnson" come from?
The English surname 'Johnson' is formed from 'John' combined with the patronymic suffix '-son', literally meaning 'son of John'[1]. The base name 'John' has a long history, traveling from Biblical Hebrew 'יוֹחָנָן' through Koine Greek 'Ἰωάννης' and Latin 'Iōhannēs', before entering Old English as 'Iohannes' and Middle English as 'John'[2][3][6]. In the United States, the surname was also adopted by various European immigrants with similar names like 'Johansson' and 'Johansen'[1].
Open questions
- The Hebrew name 'יוֹחָנָן' is possibly contracted from a former longer form 'יְהוֹחָנָן'. [2]
Full etymology tree
- Johnson (English), 'Alternative letter-case form of johnson (“penis”).'
- derived 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'
- borrowed Jehan (Anglo-Norman)
- borrowed Iohannes (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) (Ancient Greek), 'a male given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English John'
- borrowed יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān) (Biblical Hebrew)
- derived יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān) (Biblical Hebrew)
- borrowed יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān) (Biblical Hebrew)
- borrowed Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs) (Ancient Greek), 'a male given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English John'
- 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 Iohannes (Iohannes) (Latin), 'Late Latin form of Iōannēs'
- borrowed Jehan (Anglo-Norman)
- inherited Iohannes (Old English), 'John the Evangelist'
- inherited Iohannes (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) (Ancient Greek), 'a male given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English John'
- borrowed יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān) (Biblical Hebrew)
- derived יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān) (Biblical Hebrew)
- borrowed יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān) (Biblical Hebrew)
- borrowed Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs) (Ancient Greek), 'a male given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English John'
- 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'
- inherited Iohannes (Iohannes) (Latin), 'Late Latin form of Iōannēs'
- inherited John (Middle English), 'a male given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English John'
- suffix -son (English), 'Added to a stem (usually a given name or surname) to form a patronymic or matronymic surname.'
- derived John (English), 'A male given name originating from the Bible [in turn from Hebrew]; very popular since the Middle Ages.'
Ancestors
- John (English)
- -son (English)
Cognates and doublets
- Hansen (English)
- Jansen (English)
- Johansen (English)
- Johansson (English)
Related words
Sources
- Johnson (English) - Wiktionary
- John (English) - Wiktionary
- John (Middle English) - Wiktionary
- Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
- Ioannes (Latin) - Wiktionary
- Iohannes (Old English) - Wiktionary
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris