Explore the Family Name Johns
The meaning of Johns
1. English and Welsh: variant of John with genitival or excrescent -s, or a variant of Jones. It is common in Cornwall and Devon, south Wales, the West Midlands and Lancashire. In North America, this surname has absorbed cognates from other languages, such as Albanian Gjonaj or any other Albanian patronymic from the personal name Gjon ‘John’ and its variants or derivatives; see also examples at Johnson. 2. German: patronymic from John or a shortened form of Johannes. 3. Americanized form of Swiss German Schantz. History: In part, this (see 3 above) is the Americanized form of the name of a Swiss Mennonite (Amish) family Schantz. It was Joseph Schantz (1749–1813), an Amish immigrant from Switzerland, who changed his surname to Johns after he came to North America. He was in Somerset County, PA, by 1793, and in 1800 he founded the city of Shantztown (later renamed Johnstown) on his land.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Johns in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Johns" has slightly decreased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Johns was the 656th most popular surname in the United States, but by 2010 it had dropped to the 739th position, a decrease of 12.65%. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of people with the surname Johns remained nearly static, decreasing by only 0.09% from 47,289 in 2000 to 47,246 in 2010. The proportion of individuals with the Johns surname per 100,000 people similarly fell by 8.61%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #656 | #739 | -12.65% |
| Count | 47,289 | 47,246 | -0.09% |
| Proportion per 100k | 17.53 | 16.02 | -8.61% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Johns
Exploring the ethnic identity associated with the Johns surname, based on Decennial U.S. Census data, reveals notable changes between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of those identifying as White decreased from 81.25% to 79.78%, while those identifying as Hispanic saw an increase from 1.56% to 2.53%. There was also a small increase among those identifying as Black (from 12.7% to 12.77%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (from 0.67% to 0.79%). Those identifying with two or more races increased their representation from 1.84% to 2.18%. However, the percentage of those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native showed a minor decrease, moving from 1.98% to 1.95% over the ten-year period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 81.25% | 79.78% | -1.81% |
| Black | 12.7% | 12.77% | 0.55% |
| Hispanic | 1.56% | 2.53% | 62.18% |
| Two or More Races | 1.84% | 2.18% | 18.48% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.98% | 1.95% | -1.52% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.67% | 0.79% | 17.91% |
Johns ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Johns is British & Irish, which comprises 50.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.4%) and Eastern European (4.4%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 50.1% |
| French & German | 25.4% |
| Eastern European | 4.4% |
| Other | 20.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Johns
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Johns have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 84.60% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 84.50% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 84.50% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 84.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 84.20% |
What Johns haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Johns is R-Z282, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z282 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-L21, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Lewis, Reese, Thompson, Price, Thomas, Evans, Harding, Morgan, James, Cooper.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Johns surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Johns have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Johns" Surname 37.7%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Johns" Surname 28.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Johns" Surname 22.2%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Johns" Surname 18.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Johns?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Johns are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition