Johnny

What Johnny means

Diminutive of John, possibly meaning “God is gracious”

diminutive of the male given name John || From Middle English John, Johan, Johannes, from Anglo-Norman Jehan, Johan, and also Old English Iohannes, both from Late Latin Iōhannēs, variant of Latin Iōannēs, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Biblical Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān),

Source: Wiktionary, “Johnny” (revision 93411122) and “John” (revision 94540597), CC BY-SA 4.0. Quoted from the etymology; we don’t write our own.

How popular is Johnny?

US: Falling: down from #310 in 2015. England & Wales: Steady: #450 in 2015, #438 now.

Biggest US share so far: 1945, when 5,699 boys got the name (#45 that year). First in the US records in 1880.

How common

• About 1 in 2,505 baby boys in the US in 2025
• About 1 in 3,055 baby boys in England and Wales in 2025
• About 1 in 3,274 baby boys in Scotland in 2025

“1 in N” divides by all listed births for that sex. The US list leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies, and the UK lists leave out names given to 2 or fewer, so the real figure is a little rarer than shown.

Where in the US

Most popular in NE (1.13 per 1,000 boys), NM (1.08 per 1,000 boys), AR (0.87 per 1,000 boys) in 2025.

SSA state data, 2025. Share of all listed boys born in each state.

US vs UK

Johnny is #457 in the US and #438 in England & Wales (2025).

Same sex as this page (boys). SSA (US), ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland).

Boy or girl?

In 2025, 98.8% of US babies named Johnny were boys.

Counts below the publishing threshold (US 5, UK 3) are not included.

How to say it

IPA from Wiktionary.

Other spellings parents chose in 2025

• Jonny34 US · 15 E&W
• Jony7 US
• Johny5 US

Names that sound the same and differ by a letter or two, with baby counts for the same sex. US and E&W counts.

Spelling variants on Wiktionary

• Johny

Listed as alternative forms on Wiktionary.

Nicknames

• Jenny
• Jeanie
• Janie

Listed on Wiktionary under “pet forms”.

If you like Johnny

Boys

• David#35“beloved”^*
• Christopher#68“carrier of Christ”^*
• Daniel#22“God is my judge”^*
• Marcus#258Editor’s note Peaked in the US in 1984, with 5,996 babies; 1,341 in 2025
• Kevin#221“dear birth/person”^*
• Edward#224“wealth, riches + ward, guard”^*

For a sister

• Andrea#235Feminine form of Andreas, meaning “manly”^*
• Amy#257“beloved”^*
• Katherine#186Variant of Catherine, possibly meaning “each of the two”^*
• Samantha#151“listener”^*
• Elizabeth#17“my God is an oath”^*
• Ashley#164“ash tree + wood, clearing”^*

Picked from the US top 1,000 in 2025: names Wiktionary also files under where there are enough, topped up with common names whose US popularity since 1990 rose and fell most like Johnny’s. Place names are only included if they are in the top 300. Rank is US 2025.