ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1917 First Year 1987 Last Year 1917 Peak Year #4083 Peak Rank 22 Total Count 4 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Johnson What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Johnson is a masculine given name. It is a patronym of the given name John and literally means "son of John". Notable people with the name include:J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Ghanaian academic Johnson Bademosi, American football player Johnson N. Camden (1828–1908), US Senator from West Virginia Johnson N. Camden Jr. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson%5F%28given%5Fname%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * English 📖 ## The Story of Johnson The earliest SSA record of Johnson as a baby boy name dates back to 1880, when 13 babies received it. 2000 was its biggest year on record, with 111 newborns named Johnson — #1,214 in the national rankings. As of 2026, Johnson ranks #3,744 for baby boys with 30 births, falling sharply (-32%). All told, over 7K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🌐 ## Where is Johnson most common? Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally. * 🇳🇬Nigeria51% * 🇺🇸United States17% * 🇨🇳China12% * 🏳️GH10% * 🇮🇳India10% Source: [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts. 🎶 ## Names that sound like Johnson Phonetically similar names — useful when Johnson is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Jonson](/jonson) * Johnsen * Jonsson * [Jensen](/jensen) * [Jansen](/jansen) * [Jenson](/jenson) * [Janssen](/janssen) * [Janson](/janson) * Jeansonne * Genson * Jansson * [Jameson](/jameson) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Johnson What does the name Johnson mean? Johnson is a masculine given name. It is a patronym of the given name John and literally means "son of John". Notable people with the name include:J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Ghanaian academic Johnson Bademosi, American football player Johnson N. Camden (1828–1908), US Senator from West Virginia Johnson N. Camden Jr. What is the origin of the name Johnson? Johnson has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English. How popular is Johnson in 2026? In 2026, Johnson ranks #3,744 among boys' names in the U.S., with 30 babies given the name that year. When was Johnson most popular? Johnson reached its peak popularity in 2000, ranking #322 that year with 111 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Johnson most popular? Johnson has historically been most popular in Hawaii, South Carolina, Arizona. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Johnson. Is Johnson a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Johnson is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with Johnson? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Johnson include Ronny, Braeden, Basil. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names [👧DelimaPeak #4083](/delima)[👧FerrolPeak #4083](/ferrol)[👧EzoraPeak #4083](/ezora)[👧ShizuyoPeak #4083](/shizuyo)[👧AlziePeak #4083](/alzie)[👧EulaleePeak #4083](/eulalee)[👧AldiaPeak #4083](/aldia)[👧GarthaPeak #4083](/gartha) ## About the name Johnson Johnson is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 7K births in the dataset. Johnson's peak popularity came in 2000 when it ranked #322\. Use the chart and map above to compare Johnson's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2000 → ](/year/2000) * [ Names of the 2000s → ](/decade/2000s) * [ Names starting with "J" → ](/letter/j) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.