John
John is a male given name: 99% of people named John are men, and it is recorded as male in 17 of the 17 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Male
- Male / female split
- 99% male / 1% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Great Britain, Malta
- US births since 1880
- 5,115,466 male / 21,676 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address John
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear John," in English, "Guten Tag John," in German. John is a male given name: about 99% of people named John are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear John,
German
Guten Tag John,
French
Bonjour John,
Spanish
Estimado/a John:
Chinese
John您好：
Japanese
John様
English
Hi John,
German
Hi John,
French
Salut John,
Spanish
Hola John,
Chinese
John你好：
Japanese
Johnさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | man's name | 100% |
| Great Britain | very common | man's name | 98% |
| Malta | very common | man's name | 98% |
| Ireland | common | man's name | 98% |
| Denmark | common | man's name | 98% |
| Netherlands | common | man's name | 98% |
| Norway | common | man's name | 98% |
| Luxembourg | common | man's name | 98% |
| Sweden | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Belgium | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Switzerland | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Armenia | rare | man's name | 98% |
Show all 17 countries
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | rare | man's name | 98% |
| East Frisia | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Israel | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Azerbaijan | rare | man's name | 98% |
| India and Sri Lanka | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
5,115,466 male · 21,676 female · 5,137,142 births recorded
Since 1980: 100% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is John a male or female name?
John is a male given name: 99% of people named John are men, and it is recorded as male in 17 of the 17 countries covered.
How do I address John in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear John," in English, "Guten Tag John," in German. John is a male given name: about 99% of people named John are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is John a unisex name?
John is not a unisex name: 99% of people named John are men. John leans strongly male overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is John a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/john (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_john,
title = {Is John a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/john},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}