boys' name ★ peaked 1947

Johnny

Meaning From John +‎ -y Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #458 Trend ↓ Falling 16%

From John +‎ -y. In the sense of an Englishman, compare John Bull.

Rank 2025
#458
among boys · ↓2 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
690
named Johnny · -1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,505
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1947
7,497 babies
All-time total
321,696
#109 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Johnny popularity over time

321,696 babies have been named Johnny since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 194 194 19 – #302
1890s 10 316 326 33 +68% #292
1900s 26 814 840 84 +158% #190
1910s 208 3,834 4,042 404 +381% #173
1920s 459 11,342 11,801 1,180 +192% #113
1930s 415 24,596 25,011 2,501 +112% #62
1940s 543 57,200 57,743 5,774 +131% #45
1950s 629 65,786 66,415 6,642 +15% #50
1960s 550 49,843 50,393 5,039 -24% #65
1970s 396 32,024 32,420 3,242 -36% #65
1980s 233 23,503 23,736 2,374 -27% #113
1990s 123 18,488 18,611 1,861 -22% #130
2000s 69 14,321 14,390 1,439 -23% #225
2010s 78 11,259 11,337 1,134 -21% #267
2020s (to 2025) 39 4,398 4,437 740 -35% #388

Where Johnny is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 663 0.39 #466
2027 647 0.38 #472
2028 633 0.37 #479
2029 622 0.36 #483
2030 613 0.36 #493

Where Johnny is most popular

Boys named Johnny per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.417 per 1,000. Strongest in New Mexico, Mississippi, and Missouri.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Johnny born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Mexico 39 1.18 +184%
Mississippi 51 0.898 +115%
Missouri 114 0.822 +97%
Arkansas 51 0.806 +93%
Arizona 126 0.770 +85%
California 657 0.719 +72%
Oklahoma 61 0.690 +65%
Utah 61 0.639 +53%
Alabama 68 0.622 +49%
Texas 533 0.605 +45%
Tennessee 108 0.598 +43%
Kansas 38 0.554 +33%
Kentucky 55 0.548 +31%
Louisiana 53 0.518 +24%
Nevada 29 0.509 +22%
South Carolina 49 0.474 +14%
Georgia 118 0.466 +12%
Alaska 5 0.420 ≈ national
Ohio 109 0.411 ≈ national
Florida 192 0.405 ≈ national
Washington 66 0.403 ≈ national
Delaware 6 0.396 -5%
Oregon 30 0.395 -5%
North Carolina 100 0.392 -6%
Connecticut 26 0.384 -8%
Minnesota 43 0.351 -16%
Iowa 23 0.334 -20%
Pennsylvania 87 0.328 -21%
Virginia 62 0.327 -22%
New Jersey 63 0.313 -25%
Colorado 39 0.302 -28%
Illinois 77 0.301 -28%
Michigan 60 0.293 -30%
Idaho 11 0.269 -36%
Maryland 32 0.268 -36%
Wisconsin 31 0.262 -37%
New York 113 0.261 -37%
Indiana 37 0.231 -45%
Nebraska 10 0.230 -45%
Massachusetts 27 0.196 -53%
West Virginia 6 0.184 -56%
District of Columbia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Johnny

Johnny is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #458 in 2025 with 682 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 321,696 American babies have been named Johnny. Its peak came in 1947, when 7,497 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1940s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Johnny stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Johnny?

The median living Johnny is about 59 years old; half are between 39 and 71. An estimated 225 thousand people named Johnny are alive in the United States today.

median 59 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Johnny year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 8 #11,367 682 #458
2024 10 #9,870 685 #456
2023 – – 718 #435
2022 6 #14,369 800 #401
2021 8 #11,585 720 #433
2020 7 #12,747 793 #388
2019 8 #11,839 848 #375
2018 13 #8,340 941 #352
2017 6 #14,926 974 #346
2016 11 #9,717 1,038 #335
2015 7 #13,660 1,153 #310
2014 9 #11,409 1,186 #300
2013 7 #13,834 1,330 #267
2012 5 #18,088 1,243 #281
2011 5 #18,056 1,252 #282
2010 7 #14,163 1,294 #267
2009 7 #14,376 1,349 #256
2008 6 #16,344 1,477 #246
2007 6 #16,410 1,507 #241
2006 5 #18,455 1,461 #237
2005 5 #17,688 1,397 #241
2004 10 #10,264 1,317 #251
2003 7 #13,056 1,370 #246
2002 11 #9,126 1,439 #235
2001 6 #14,332 1,540 #225
2000 6 #13,950 1,464 #235
1995 16 #5,803 1,688 #186
1990 17 #5,388 2,481 #130
1985 23 #3,658 2,208 #127
1980 22 #3,655 2,641 #113
1975 33 #2,427 2,969 #86
1970 47 #1,868 4,438 #65
1965 43 #1,726 4,687 #76
1960 75 #1,272 6,184 #65
1955 54 #1,364 6,620 #55
1950 64 #1,156 6,581 #50
1945 51 #1,104 5,699 #45
1940 59 #939 4,006 #51
1935 39 #1,127 2,533 #74
1930 54 #1,006 1,822 #101
1925 43 #1,182 1,167 #142
1920 35 #1,331 767 #184
1915 29 #1,328 417 #237
1910 11 #1,469 167 #173
1905 – – 83 #210
1900 – – 72 #240
1895 – – 35 #306
1890 – – 23 #374
1885 – – 21 #389
1880 – – 20 #387

Famous people named Johnny

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Johnny Depp Johnny Depp American actor (born 1963) Contemporary
  2. 2 Johnny Cash Johnny Cash American country singer (1932–2003) Contemporary
  3. 3 Johnny Sins Johnny Sins American adult film performer (born 1978) Contemporary
  4. 4 Johnny Knoxville Johnny Knoxville American stunt performer and actor (born 1971) Contemporary
  5. 5 Johnny Galecki Johnny Galecki American actor (born 1975) Contemporary
  6. 6 Johnny Carson Johnny Carson American comedian and television host (1925–2005) Contemporary
  7. 7 Johnny Mathis Johnny Mathis American jazz-pop singer (born 1935) Contemporary
  8. 8 Johnny Appleseed Johnny Appleseed American pioneer nurseryman (1774–1845) 18th century
  9. 9 Johnny Weissmuller Johnny Weissmuller American swimmer, water-polo player, and actor (1904–1984) Contemporary
  10. 10 Johnny Winter Johnny Winter American blues guitarist and singer (1944–2014) Contemporary
  11. 11 Johnny Torrio Johnny Torrio Italian mob boss (1882–1957) 19th century
  12. 12 Johnny Thunders Johnny Thunders American guitarist and singer (1952–1991) Contemporary
  13. 13 Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers American rock musician (born 1942) Contemporary
  14. 14 Johnny Hallyday Johnny Hallyday French musician and actor (1943–2017) Contemporary
  15. 15 Johnny Mercer Johnny Mercer American lyricist, songwriter, singer (1909–1976) Contemporary
  16. 16 Johnny Nash Johnny Nash American singer (1940–2020) Contemporary
  17. 17 Johnny Logan Johnny Logan Irish singer-songwriter (born 1954) Contemporary
  18. 18 Johnny Clegg Johnny Clegg British and South African musician and anthropologist (1953–2019) Contemporary
  19. 19 Johnny Herbert Johnny Herbert British racing driver and broadcaster (born 1964) Contemporary
  20. 20 Johnny Burnette Johnny Burnette American musician (1934–1964) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Johnny, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Johnny?

The median living Johnny is about 59 years old. Half of all living Johnnys are between 39 and 71 years old.

How many people named Johnny are alive today?

An estimated 225 thousand people named Johnny are alive in the United States, based on 321,696 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Johnny mean?

From John +‎ -y. In the sense of an Englishman, compare John Bull.

How popular is the name Johnny in 2025?

Johnny ranked #458 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 682 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Johnny?

321,696 babies have been named Johnny in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Johnny most popular?

Johnny peaked in 1947, when 7,497 newborns received the name.

Is Johnny a boy or girl name?

Johnny is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Johnny rising or falling?

Johnny is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Johnny become more popular?

Johnny is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 613 boys named Johnny in 2030, which would rank around #493. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Johnny?

Well-known people named Johnny include Johnny Depp (actor), Johnny Cash (singer), Johnny Sins (pornographic actor).

Names like Johnny

Names that sound and feel close to Johnny: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Johnny with similar names → More names starting with J →