2000
#656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,289
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.53
Uncommon Last name
Johns
An English patronymic surname meaning "son of John."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 52,626 Americans carry the last name Johns. That puts it at #735 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,513 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Johns surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Johns with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
53K
1 in 6,513
Census rank
#735
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
46K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 45,892 bearers of the surname Johns in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 735th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Johns, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Johns
The surname JOHNS has its origins in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is a patronymic surname, derived from the personal name John, which itself comes from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname JOHNS can be found in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Johnes." It is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 as "Johannes."
In the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname was often rendered as "John" or "Jon," with the possessive "s" added later to indicate the person was the son of someone named John. This practice was common in English naming traditions during that time.
The surname JOHNS is closely associated with several place names in England, such as Johns Hill in Worcestershire and Johns Green in Essex. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname JOHNS who lived or owned land in those areas.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname JOHNS was Sir Thomas JOHNS (c. 1500-1559), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas during the reign of Queen Mary I.
Another individual of note was Giles JOHNS (c. 1550-1608), an English composer and musician who served as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal under Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the surname JOHNS appeared in various records, including the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1664, where it was spelled as "Johnes" and "Johnns."
During the 18th century, the name JOHNS gained further prominence with individuals such as William JOHNS (1700-1760), a renowned English painter and engraver known for his landscape paintings and etchings.
In the 19th century, one of the most famous bearers of the surname JOHNS was Gwyn JOHNS (1822-1899), a Welsh architect and engineer who designed several notable landmarks, including the Menai Suspension Bridge in Wales.
Throughout its long history, the surname JOHNS has been associated with various professions and areas of expertise, from law and the arts to architecture and engineering, reflecting the diverse contributions of those who have borne this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Johns
Among Census respondents with the surname Johns, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Johns bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Johns surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.1% · 34,914
- Black or African American13.0% · 5,973
- Two or more races4.5% · 2,077
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 1,676
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 792
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 460
Timeline
Historical Census data for Johns
Johns appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,246
-43 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 16.02
Rank movement Down 83 places
2020
#735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,892
-1,354 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 15.35
Rank movement Up 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #656 | 47,289 | 17.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #739 | 47,246 | 16.02 | -43 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 83 places |
| 2020 | #735 | 45,892 | 15.35 | -1,354 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 4 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Johns surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #739 | #735 | 0.5% |
| Count | 47,246 | 45,892 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 16.02 | 15.35 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Johns bearers went from 47,246 to 45,892 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #739 to #735.
FAQ
Johns surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Johns?
Name Census estimates that about 52,626 living Americans carry the surname Johns. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,513 residents.
How common is Johns?
Johns ranks #735 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 45,892 people with the surname Johns. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (52,626), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Johns.
Has Johns become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Johns went from 47,246 recorded bearers to 45,892. That is a decrease of 1,354 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #739 to #735.
What does the Census say about the background of Johns?
Among Census respondents with the surname Johns, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Johns in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.1% (34,914 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Johns appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.1%), Black (13.0%), Two or More Races (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Johns (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Johns mean?
An English patronymic surname meaning "son of John." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Johns (15.35 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Johns?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.