Humanverse

John vs Johnthomas

American parents have registered 5,204,377 Johns since 1880, against 566 Johnthomases. John is still ahead, with 8,033 babies in 2025.

Babies given each name, 1880–2025

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

John Johnthomas

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 2022, when John had 8,008 and Johnthomas had 15.

Side by side

  John Johnthomas
Total US births 5,204,377566
Most in one year 88,52718
Babies in 2025 8,0336
Estimated living today 2.7 million550
Median age today 5923
Peak year 19471997
Best rank 3rd boys3,738th boys
Rank in 2025 23rd10,695th
First recorded 18801972
Girls / boys 21,744 / 5,182,6330 / 566

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 Johnthomases are over 23. That is 36 years between them: two names in use at the same time, worn by two different generations.

Compare something else

Related comparisons

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