Johnny

“Variant of John — God is gracious” — Hebrew via Greek, Latin, and Old French origin

Boy's name · #458 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Johnny holds its lane: charted since 1880 and rarely far from where it stands today (#458 in 2025). About 318,000 boys have carried it along the way. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Around the world: about 1 in 920 boys in N. Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 1,300 boys in Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 1,400 boys in New Zealand (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 38 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Johnnys

Johnny Depp — American actor (born 1963)
Johnny Cash — American country singer (1932–2003)
Johnny Hallyday — French musician, singer and actor (1943–2017)
Johnny Weissmuller — American swimmer, water polo player, and actor (1904–1984)
Johnny Carson — American talk show host and comedian (1925–2005)

In stories & tradition

Johnny (Human Torch) — Fantastic Four
Johnny Cage — Mortal Kombat · Mortal Kombat Trilogy
Johnny Blaze — Ghost Rider · Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

What Johnnys become

Among 2,414 notable people named Johnny:

Sports figures appear 2.45× more often than among typical names — e.g. Johnny Weissmuller, American swimmer, water polo player, and actor (1904–1984).

Similar names: Johnnie · Lawrence · Joey · Tony · Jimmy · Danny

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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