Boys' name · since 1880
John
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 5,182,633 babies named John, peaking in 1947. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #2 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #23 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,182,633
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
5,182,633 babies have been named John since 1880, making it today's #23 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, John has been recorded 5,182,633 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #23 nationally and more common than 99.8% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #23 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 5,182,633 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, John ranks #2 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #23 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 5,182,633 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #2 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #23 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,182,633
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
John's 5,182,633 recorded births place it above 99.99% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How John compares
5,182,633 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
John's all-time total is 14,045x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | John | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 5,182,633 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 88,324 | 34 | 22,252 |
John's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
John splits its recorded history at 1953: 49% of all births land in the more recent half, 51% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1901 (6,900 births) -- compare that against the 1947 peak of 88,324 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
John popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 88,324
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
John popularity over time - girls
21,744 total births recorded since 1880 (John as girls' name)
John by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (797,922 births, 15% of the file).
1950s was John's strongest decade.
797,922 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.
John births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 89,949
1880s
89,949 births
- 1890s 80,664
1890s
80,664 births
- 1900s 84,590
1900s
84,590 births
- 1910s
1910s
376,311 births
- 1920s
1920s
564,052 births
- 1930s
1930s
487,950 births
- 1940s
1940s
711,614 births
- 1950s
1950s
797,922 births
- 1960s
1960s
713,394 births
- 1970s
1970s
402,612 births
- 1980s
1980s
321,150 births
- 1990s 240,151
1990s
240,151 births
- 2000s 161,104
2000s
161,104 births
- 2010s 102,800
2010s
102,800 births
- 2020s 48,370
2020s
48,370 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 797,922 births (15% of all-time use).
How John compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to John's total volume
John by state
Where John concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 499,164 | 9.6% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 422,027 | 8.1% |
| #3 | California | | 316,948 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 275,051 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 254,372 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Texas | | 244,549 | 4.7% |
| #7 | Massachusetts | | 200,990 | 3.9% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 198,618 | 3.8% |
499,164 of 5,182,633 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
John appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name John? ▼
Where does John sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was John most popular? ▼
Where is John most popular? ▼
How long has the name John been used? ▼
What names are similar to John? ▼
What to do with John's data
- John's decade-level peak was the 1950s (797,922 total births); usage has since declined to 48,370 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Johns (499,164 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring John
Nearby Names Like John
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to John
Compare John side by side: John vs Johnny John vs Johnnie John vs Johnathan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to John
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for John: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1947)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for John draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.