Johnny Coat of Arms and Surname Origin

If your family name is Johnny, its origin lies with Johannes, a German surname. Surname dictionaries give the meaning as “A descendant of Johannes or Johann (gracious gift of Jehovah)”.

Heraldry and the Johnny name

Arms linked to Johannes and its spellings were granted to individual families; our heraldry team traces which line they belonged to.

How the spelling arose

Johnny is listed among the recognised spellings of Johannes. Spellings drifted because names were written down by ear in parish books, tax rolls and passenger lists. Related forms: Johann.

The Census Bureau's 2010 surname file lists Johnny with 665 bearers, at rank 34,149. It sits among the 50,000 most common last names in the country. For the full story, order the Johnny surname pack.