What is Johnny short for?

In old records, Johnny is usually short for John. It can also stand for Jonathan. You will find it in American and British records, chiefly 1700s-1900s. The Johnny-to-John jump is easy to miss, so it is worth searching both when you hit a dead end.

Loading tool…

FAQs

Does Johnny always mean John?+

Not always. Johnny most often stands for John, but it also appears for Jonathan. Confirm against the actual record before you rely on it.

How does this nickname lookup work?+

It searches a curated dataset of historical nickname-to-formal-name mappings - in both directions - entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded or stored on our servers.

Start with one relative and see what comes back.

Add what you remember and AncestorIQ searches for the rest. Free to build your tree for as long as you like.

Start your tree, free

No credit card needed. Your tree stays yours.