Fun Facts About the Name Yochanan
- 290 babies named Yochanan: U.S. records list 290 babies given the name Yochanan from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Yochanan Mean?
Yochanan is a Hebrew name meaning "the Lord is gracious," or more literally, "YHWH is gracious." It comes from the Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yochanan), which is a shortened form of יְהוֹחָנָן (Yehochanan). The name combines a shortened form of the divine name, the Tetragrammaton (the element Yeho-), with the Hebrew root חנן (chanan), meaning "to be gracious" or "to show favor." The longer form with the full theophoric element appears in the Hebrew Bible, while the shorter Yochanan was the everyday version of the name in the Second Temple period.
Yochanan Name History & Origins
The name appears in the Hebrew Bible in both its long and short forms. The longer Yehochanan is used for several men in the books of Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah, while the shorter Yochanan names figures such as Yochanan ben Kareah in the book of Jeremiah. These are the earliest documented uses of the name.
By the late Second Temple period, Yochanan was a common Jewish name. It appears in the Dead Sea Scrolls and in the writings of the historian Josephus. A well-known bearer was the first-century rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, associated with the academy at Yavneh after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. The name also appears in the New Testament, where Yochanan - written in Greek as Ἰωάννης (Ioannes) - is the name of John the Baptist and John the Apostle.
In Greek, the Hebrew sounds were reshaped: the initial yod was vocalized as an i, giving Ioannes, which Latin took over as Ioannes and later Johannes. From those forms came the many European versions of the name, including John in English, Jean in French, Juan in Spanish, and Giovanni in Italian. Jewish communities continued to use Yochanan itself as a Hebrew name, distinct from the European descendants of the same source.
How Popular is the Name Yochanan?
Yochanan has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2014. Its best rank was #4,548 in 1984.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,679 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #8,925 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2023 | #6,876 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2022 | #10,811 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2021 | #8,804 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #6,603 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2019 | #7,151 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #10,718 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #6,666 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2016 | #9,626 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #8,018 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2014 | #5,720 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2013 | #12,078 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #10,732 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #10,756 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #12,169 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #6,419 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2008 | #8,999 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #8,708 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #10,121 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #9,917 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #6,434 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #12,082 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #6,518 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #6,830 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #10,509 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #6,980 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #8,780 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #7,626 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #5,926 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #9,467 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1984 | #4,548 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1982 | #4,582 | 9 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Yochanan Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual. You hate bondage in any form. You have love of beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You are willing to take spiritual matters on faith instead of subjecting them to mental analysis. You are inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Yochanan's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Yochanan's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.