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Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a habitational name.


Etymology

The name itself is a
patronym A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, al ...
of the
given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...
'' John'', literally meaning "son of John". The name ''John'' derives from Latin '' Johannes'', which is derived through Greek ''Iōannēs'' from
Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
'' Yohanan'', meaning "Yahweh has favoured".


Origin

The name has been extremely popular in Europe since the
Christian era The terms (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term is Medieval Latin and means 'in the year of the Lord', but is often presented using "our Lord" instead of "the Lord", ...
as a result of it being given to St John the Baptist,
St John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης, Iōánnēs; Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ; ar, يوحنا الإنجيلي, la, Ioannes, he, יוחנן cop, ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ or ⲓⲱ̅ⲁ) is the name traditionally given ...
and nearly one thousand other
Christian saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ort ...
.


Other Germanic languages

* Swedish:
Johnsson Johnsson is a Swedish surname meaning "son of John". People with this surname include: * Christofer Johnsson, Swedish heavy metal musician * Kim Johnsson, Swedish ice hockey player * Peter Johnsson (born 1962), Swedish politician * Sonja John ...
,
Jonsson Jonsson is a surname of Nordic, mostly Swedish, origin, meaning ''son of Jon''. In Iceland the name is a part of the Patronymic name system. Notable people with the surname include: *Åke Jonsson, Swedish motocross racer *Andreas Jonsson (born 1 ...
* Icelandic:
Jónsson Jónsson is a surname of Icelandic origin, meaning ''son of Jón''. In Icelandic names, the name is not strictly a surname, but a patronymic. The name refers to: * Arnar Jónsson (actor) (born 1943), Icelandic actor * Arnar Jónsson (basketball) (bo ...


See also

* List of people with surname Johnson * Gjoni (Gjonaj) *
Ioannou Ioannou or Joannou () is a Greek surname, derived from the given name John (). Notable people with surname Ioannou or Joannou: People Ioannou * Demetris Ioannou (born 1968), Cypriot footballer * Dimitrios Ioannou (1861-1926), Greek general * Dim ...
* Jensen *
Johansson Johansson is a patronymic family name of Swedish origin meaning ''"son of Johan"'', or ''"Johan's son"''. It is the most common Swedish family name, followed by Andersson. (First 18 surnames ends -sson.) The Danish, Norwegian, German and Dutc ...
* Johns *
Johnsson Johnsson is a Swedish surname meaning "son of John". People with this surname include: * Christofer Johnsson, Swedish heavy metal musician * Kim Johnsson, Swedish ice hockey player * Peter Johnsson (born 1962), Swedish politician * Sonja John ...
* Johnston *
Johnstone Johnstone ( sco, Johnstoun,
gd, Baile Iain) is a town ...
*
Jones Jones may refer to: People * Jones (surname), a common Welsh and English surname * List of people with surname Jones * Jones (singer), a British singer-songwriter Arts and entertainment * Jones (''Animal Farm''), a human character in George Orwe ...
*
Jonson Jonson is a surname, and may refer to: * Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popu ...
*
Jonsson Jonsson is a surname of Nordic, mostly Swedish, origin, meaning ''son of Jon''. In Iceland the name is a part of the Patronymic name system. Notable people with the surname include: *Åke Jonsson, Swedish motocross racer *Andreas Jonsson (born 1 ...
* Jovanović


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson English-language surnames Patronymic surnames Surnames of English origin Swedish-language surnames Surnames from given names