Humanverse

Johnie vs Johnston

American parents have registered 26,074 Johnies since 1880, against 512 Johnstons. Johnie is still ahead, with 15 babies in 2025.

Babies given each name, 1880–2025

Births per year: Johnie against Johnston, 1880 to 2025 0 250 500 750 1k 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

Johnie Johnston

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

Of the 145 years in which either name was published, Johnie for 140 years and Johnston for 5 years. The lead changed hands 10 times.

Side by side

  Johnie Johnston
Total US births 26,074512
Most in one year 85418
Babies in 2025 157
Estimated living today 4,900420
Median age today 6924
Peak year 19202007
Best rank 190th boys4,996th boys
Rank in 2025 7,679th9,714th
First recorded 18801914
Girls / boys 5,144 / 20,9300 / 512

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 Johnies alive today are over 69; half the Johnstons are over 24. That is 45 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: Johnie and Johnston.