Boy · Hebrew · Christian · International
John
JohnSay it JON
- Meaning today
- God is gracious
- Original meaning
- "Jehovah-favoured, that is, favoured by God" Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, G2491 (from H3110, H3076)
- Say it
- JON
John
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John meaning
John is a Christian and international boy's name of Hebrew origin.
Jehovah-favoured, that is, favoured by God
Also used to mean: god is gracious
John comes, through the Greek Iōannēs, from the Hebrew Yoḥanan, a short form of Yehoḥanan (יְהוֹחָנָן). Strong's builds it from the divine name and chanan, 'to show favour', and glosses it 'Jehovah-favoured'; the NAS concordance reads 'the LORD has been gracious', and Thayer's lexicon 'to whom Jehovah is gracious'. Name lists give 'God is gracious', which agrees. In the New Testament it is the name of John the Baptist, son of the priest Zacharias and Elisabeth, and of the apostle John, son of Zebedee, traditionally credited with the fourth Gospel. Through Latin the name passed into most European languages, and it is used by Christian families throughout India.
Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, G2491 (from H3110, H3076) · entry Yehowchanan · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Strong's Hebrew 3076, Yehochanan (with NAS) · Strong's and Thayer's Greek 2491, Iōannēs
Famous namesakes
- John the Baptist
- John the Apostle, son of Zebedee
Popularity abroad
- #23 United States, boys 2025 (down 2 from 21 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #174 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.