NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Johannes

A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "Yahweh is gracious".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Johannes is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Johannes popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3254, with 6 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2008, with 19 births.

This profile covers 329 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 32% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 331 living people in the UK are called Johannes. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Johannes ranked #3254 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 6 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2008, when 19 boys were registered as Johannes.
  • Johannes ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #501 in 2007.
  • About 331 living people in the UK are estimated to have Johannes as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#3254

2024

Births in 2024

6

Latest year

Peak year

2008

19 births

Estimated living

331

2026

Meaning

What does Johannes mean?

The name Johannes is derived from the Hebrew name Yohanan, which means "Yahweh is gracious" or "God is gracious." It is the Latin and Greek form of the Hebrew name and has been widely used across Europe for centuries.

Johannes was a popular name among early Christians, as it was the name of several biblical figures, including John the Baptist and John the Apostle. The name appears frequently in the New Testament and was widely adopted by early Christian communities.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Johannes dates back to the 4th century AD, when Johannes Chrysostomus, also known as Saint John Chrysostom, was a prominent Christian bishop and preacher in Constantinople. He lived from around 349 to 407 AD and is revered as a saint in both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches.

Another notable figure with the name Johannes was Johannes Gutenberg, the German inventor credited with the development of the movable-type printing press in the mid-15th century. His revolutionary invention helped to spread knowledge and ideas across Europe and played a significant role in the Renaissance and Reformation periods. Gutenberg lived from around 1400 to 1468.

In the field of science, Johannes Kepler, a German astronomer and mathematician, made significant contributions to the scientific revolution in the early 17th century. He is best known for his laws of planetary motion and his work on optics. Kepler lived from 1571 to 1630.

Johannes Brahms, a German composer and pianist of the Romantic period, is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the 19th century. His works include symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and vocal works. Brahms lived from 1833 to 1897.

Another influential figure with the name Johannes was Johannes Vermeer, a Dutch painter who is renowned for his masterful use of light and his intimate interior scenes. He lived from 1632 to 1675 and is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age.

These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Johannes, a name with deep roots in biblical and religious traditions and a rich cultural legacy across Europe.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Johannes over time

The chart below shows babies named Johannes registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Johannes, the clearest high point is 2008. The latest England and Wales figure is 6 births in 2024, compared with 19 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Johannes
05101419199620102024

Decades

Johannes by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Johannes was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #2451 44 5
2010s #1733 139 10
2000s #1631 108 10
1990s #1320 38 4

Geography

Where Johannes is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Johannes. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Johannes ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #501 in 2007.

Scotland
4

Across the UK

Johannes in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#501 in 2007

1 years of NRS records, 4 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Johannes

  • Johannes Neubauer

    rower

    German rower

    2000-

  • Johannes Roberts

    writer; screenwriter; director; film director; film producer

    British film director

    1976-

  • Johannes Rossouw

    amateur wrestler

    South African wrestler

    1964-

  • Johannes Haas-Heye

    writer; journalist; diplomat

    German journalist and diplomat (1912-2008)

    1912-2008

  • Johannes Koort

    military personnel

    Estonian military personnel (1900-1976)

    1900-1976

  • Johannes Matthäus Koelz

    painter

    British painter (1895–1971)

    1895-1971

  • Johannes Arathoon

    barrister

    British barrister

    1840-

  • Johannes van Rensselaer

    land owner

    (1708-1783)

    1708-1783

Related

Names similar to Johannes

FAQ

Johannes: questions and answers

How popular is the name Johannes in the UK right now?

In 2024, Johannes was ranked #3254 for boys in England and Wales, with 6 births registered.

When was Johannes most popular?

The peak year on record was 2008, with 19 babies registered as Johannes in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Johannes?

A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "Yahweh is gracious".

How many people are called Johannes in the UK?

A total of 329 babies have been registered as Johannes across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 4 more in Scotland.

Where is Johannes most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Johannes ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #501 in 2007. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.