John

Try this at a party: ask everyone to name a John they know. Then stand back, because you will be there all night. Few names have ever been as thoroughly woven into everyday life, and fewer still have managed it while sounding this unfussy.

John comes from Hebrew, and its meaning is a lovely one: God is gracious. Graciousness is not a bad thing to hang on a small person, especially one who will soon be learning to share toys. The name itself is graciously short, too. One syllable, four letters, no spelling debates at the registry office. Nobody has ever had to say 'that's John with a silent something'.

Plain on paper, rich in practice

The charge usually levelled at John is that it's too ordinary. Fair enough, if ordinary means understood in every corner of the globe. But spend five minutes with the nicknames and it starts to look rather clever. There's Johnny, which is cheeky and affectionate, and then there's Jack, which is a whole other name hiding inside it like a toy in a cracker. You get two or three characters for the price of one.

And the company it keeps is hardly humdrum. John F. Kennedy was president of the United States from 1961 to 1963. John Locke was an English philosopher and physician. Between them, they make a strong case that this is a name people take seriously.

Where the Johns are now

Here's the surprise. For a name that feels as though it has always been at the top, John is currently spread across the charts in a fascinatingly uneven way:

• #27 in the United States (2020)
• #73 in Canada and #81 in New Zealand (2024)
• #164 in England & Wales (2024)
• #219 in Brazil (2022)
• Further down in Argentina (#519), Catalonia (#592) and France (#724), all in 2024

That England & Wales figure is the eyebrow-raiser. A British parent choosing John today is, technically, picking something less common than plenty of names that sound far trendier. Classic has quietly become a bit distinctive, which is a very John thing to do.

It sits beautifully alongside the other steady old favourites. Picture a family photo with Thomas, Mary, William, Elizabeth and Margaret, and John looks as if he has always been in it, probably holding the camera.

The case for the obvious choice

There is a certain bravery in choosing a name everyone already knows how to spell. You lose the thrill of the unusual, but you gain a name that will never date, never need explaining and never look odd on anything from a birthday cake to a brass plaque.

Of course, knowing all that doesn't make the decision any easier. You can be fully convinced by John at breakfast and wavering by lunch, and that is simply how the baby-naming game is played. Gracious, steady and sitting right there on the list the whole time: it might just be worth another look.