A male name. Hebrew Johanan (Latin Johannes) 'Jah is gracious'. One of the commonest of Jewish names. As the name of both the Baptist and an Evangelist (each of whom had two festivals, the Nativity and the Decollation of St John the Baptist, and the Nativity of St John the Evangelist and St John before the Latin Gate) John was marked out for popularity as a christian name. It was rare in England in the Old English period, though it occurs from time to time as the name of a priest or monk. In early times its chief use was in the Eastern Church, and it did not become common in western Europe until after the first Crusades. The sponsor was probably more often the Baptist (who has 500 churches dedicated to him in England) than the Evangelist (181 dedications). Though John was a fairly common English name in the 12th- 15th C, its singular predominance over all othernames came later. An analysis of names in the register of one church gives interesting results: Period Percentage of all males baptized John 1550-99 .......…..15½ 1600-49 ......…… 19 1650-99 ………… 28 1700-49 ........... 25 1750-99 ………… 19 It has been an equal favourite in other countries; French Jean, German Hans (from Johannes), Italian Giovanni, Spanish Juan, Russian Ivan, for example, are among the commonest names in their respective countries. The Welsh Evan, Scottish Ian, Irish Sean, Shane are noticed separately, as is also the nickname Jack (Scottish Jock). Johnnie is a less frequent diminutive. The number of surnames derived from John and its pet-forms is very great, e.g. John, Johns, Johnson, Jones, Jone, Jack, Jacks, Jackson, Jake, Jenkin, Jenkins, Jenkinson (from the diminutive Jen-kin); Jennens, Jenyns, Jennings (from the French diminutive Jeanin); Jennett, Jenn, Jenne, Jennison; Hankin, Hankins, Hankinson, Hancock, &c., from the diminutive Hane-kin, Hane-cock.

(See also Jack and, for the etymology, Johanna.) This name owes most of its universality to the Evangelist; its brevity and strength have contributed to make it, in the minds of the majority, the finest of all m. ‘Christians’. As Professor Weekley (in W. & N.) remarks, ‘Taking the European languages as a whole, the dominant name is John.’ Of forms of the word, Charlotte Yonge lists four in English, three in Scotch, two in Welsh, two in Erse, one in Gaelic; three in Ger., five in Danish; three in French and five in Belgian; eight in Italian, two in Spanish; six in Russian and six in Lithuanian; seven in Modern Greek; and so on. ‘On the whole,’ continues Weekley, ‘John has, in English, preserved a little more dignity than Jack. John Chinaman is a shade more respectful than Defoe’s Jack Spaniard... (In short, ) John and Jack predominate among personifications’: cf. John Company and John Barleycorn. (See also at close of the entry at Joseph.)

From’Ιωαννης, the Greek form of Johanan, in Hebrew יוֹחָנָן, Y’hohhanán. var. translated ‘the Lord gave graciously; whom Jehovah gave; whom Jehovah bestowed.’ John is also found as a female name. One of the Registrars of Births tells me that John is not a very uncommon female name. He says further that male names are given to females through the death of a son who bore his father’s name, and that it often happens after the birth of the fifth or sixth child.

Hebrew (masculine) - God’s grace, or God’s gift.

Jon, the gift or mercy of the Lord. 1. The Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth. Luke i. 7, 13, 15. 2. The Evangelist. He was a native of Bethsaida, in Galilee, and the son of Zebedee and Salome, and by trade a fisherman. Matt iv. 21. He was the disciple whom Jesus loved. 3. John, surnamed Mark. The son of a woman called Mary, at whose house the apostles and other Christians frequently met at Jerusalem. Acts xii. 12.

Meaning: Greek for Jo ha'nan.

A Hebrew name, meaning: The Lord graciously giveth: Jehovah is gracious.

A Gaelic name: Iain, older Eòin, in compounds Seathain, as Mac-Gille-Sheathainn, now M‘Illeathainn.