Humanverse

John vs Johnanthony

American parents have registered 5,204,377 Johns since 1880, against 530 Johnanthonys. John is still ahead, with 8,033 babies in 2025.

Babies given each name, 1880–2025

Births per year: John against Johnanthony, 1880 to 2025 0 25k 50k 75k 100k 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

John Johnanthony

Each line is every baby given the name that year, girls and boys added together — the only count that means the same thing for both names. A line breaks where the name fell below five babies in a year — the point at which the SSA stops publishing it — rather than being drawn through a figure nobody published. A single published year in a gap shows as a dot.

Who was ahead

John has been the commoner name in every year either was published, 1880 to 2025. The lead has never changed hands.

The closest they came was 2008, when John had 13,358 and Johnanthony had 19.

Side by side

  John Johnanthony
Total US births 5,204,377530
Most in one year 88,52721
Babies in 2025 8,033under 5
Estimated living today 2.7 million520
Median age today 5924
Peak year 19471999
Best rank 3rd boys3,591st boys
Rank in 2025 23rdunranked
First recorded 18801978
Girls / boys 21,744 / 5,182,6330 / 530

A rank is a position within one sex’s list for one year, so the two rank rows are not subtracted from one another and the winning column is not marked on them. The living figure is a life-table estimate, not a count.

Which name is older

Half of the Johns alive today are over 59; half the Johnanthonys are over 24. That is 35 years between them: two names in use at the same time, worn by two different generations.

Where each one is strongest

How much commoner the name is in that state than it is nationally, from births recorded since 1910.

Compare something else

Related comparisons

Social Security Administration birth records, 1880–2025, public domain. Full histories: John and Johnanthony.