Total births
317,918
Boys' name · since 1880
Johnny
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 317,918 babies named Johnny, peaking in 1947. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #456
- among boys today
- 317,918
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
317,918 babies have been named Johnny since 1880, making it today's #456 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Johnny recorded 317,918 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #456 nationally today, ahead of 97% of boys, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #456 among boys today
- 317,918 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 97% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Johnny is currently the #456 boys' name in America, more common than 97% of boys - 317,918 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #456
- among boys today
- 317,918
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Johnny vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#456
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 97% of names given to boys today.
1950s
Peak decade
21% of everyone ever named Johnny was born in this single decade.
1947
Single peak year
7,441 babies were named Johnny in 1947 - its busiest year on record.
How Johnny compares
317,918 Top 1% higher than 99% of 14,294 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
Johnny's all-time total is 866x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Johnny | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 317,918 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 7,441 | 23 | 22,252 |
Johnny's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Johnny's full recorded timeline at 1953, 63% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 37% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 13 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1947 peak of 7,441 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Johnny at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1947
Current rank
#456
Active since
1880
Johnny popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 7,441
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Johnny popularity over time - girls
3,778 total births recorded since 1896 (Johnny as girls' name)
Johnny by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Johnny's strongest decade.
65,786 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Johnny births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 194
1880s
194 births
- 1890s 316
1890s
316 births
- 1900s 814
1900s
814 births
- 1910s 3,834
1910s
3,834 births
- 1920s 11,342
1920s
11,342 births
- 1930s 24,596
1930s
24,596 births
- 1940s
1940s
57,200 births
- 1950s
1950s
65,786 births
- 1960s
1960s
49,843 births
- 1970s
1970s
32,024 births
- 1980s 23,503
1980s
23,503 births
- 1990s 18,488
1990s
18,488 births
- 2000s 14,321
2000s
14,321 births
- 2010s 11,259
2010s
11,259 births
- 2020s 4,398
2020s
4,398 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 65,786 births (21% of all-time use).
How Johnny 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 Johnny's total volume
Johnny vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Johnny by state
Where Johnny concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 44,678 | 14.1% |
| #2 | California | | 30,891 | 9.7% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 22,348 | 7.0% |
| #4 | North Carolina | | 19,048 | 6.0% |
| #5 | Alabama | | 17,126 | 5.4% |
| #6 | Tennessee | | 15,349 | 4.8% |
| #7 | Mississippi | | 13,147 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Florida | | 12,874 | 4.0% |
Texas share of Johnny's total US births 14.1%
Even split
44,678 of 317,918 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Johnny appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Johnny? ▼
317,918 babies have been named Johnny since 1880. It currently ranks #456 among boys. The peak year was 1947 with 7,441 births.
When was Johnny most popular? ▼
Johnny was most popular in the 1950s decade with 65,786 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Johnny most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Johnny are Texas (44,678 births), California (30,891 births), Georgia (22,348 births).
How long has the name Johnny been used? ▼
Records for Johnny go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Johnny? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include John, Johnnie, Johnathan, Johnathon, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Johnny's data
- Johnny's decade-level peak was the 1950s (65,786 total births); usage has since declined to 4,398 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Johnnys (44,678 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Johnny
Nearby Names Like Johnny
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Johnny
John Boy
#21 5,182,633 births
Johnnie Boy
#2313 102,099 births
Johnathan Boy
#513 98,262 births
Johnathon Boy
#2083 25,600 births
Johnie Boy
20,930 births
Compare Johnny side by side: Johnny vs John Johnny vs Johnnie Johnny vs Johnathan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Johnny
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Johnny: #456 Boys' Name - 317,918 Births, Peak 1947." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/johnny. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Johnny 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 June 2026.