St John
A surname from the name of Saint John, often used for families connected with churches, devotion, or the personal name John.
The #2,303 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 19,488 Americans shares it.
Etymology
St John is a surname built from the title of Saint John, ultimately from Latin Johannes, the Greek form of the Hebrew name Yochanan, meaning 'God is gracious.' In English and Norman French use, the saint’s name was often written in abbreviated or fused forms, which later became fixed as a surname. The spelling and pronunciation vary because the two words 'St' and 'John' were sometimes pronounced together as one unit.
History
The surname is especially found in England, where it could arise as a devotional or locational name, for example from a place or house associated with a church dedicated to Saint John. It is also known in Norman and Anglo-Norman families, where surname forms based on saints were common. In some branches the traditional pronunciation 'sinjin' became standard, even though the spelling looks like the full saint’s name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In English aristocratic and historical usage, St John was often pronounced 'sinjin,' a classic example of a spelling that preserves older pronunciation habits.