Johnni

Meaning & origin

Johnni is a rare feminine variant of John that first appeared on U.S. birth records in 1960. The name never reached widespread use; its peak popularity came in 2019, though even then it remained uncommon. As of 2025, it ranks 14,942 with only about 1 in every 321,453 newborns receiving the name. The name has maintained a stable trajectory in recent years, neither surging nor declining sharply. Johnni belongs to a category of names that take a traditionally masculine base (John) and add a feminine ending, a pattern that has produced names like Billie and Bobbi. Despite its low usage, the name carries the familiar meaning 'God is gracious' through its connection to John.

Johnni is a modern feminine variant of John, derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan meaning 'Yahweh is gracious'. The spelling with an 'i' ending emerged in the mid-20th century as a creative respelling of the more common Johnny. It gained some popularity as a female-given name in the United States beginning in the 1960s, though it has always been rare.