Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Johnny” come from?

Johnny is an English diminutive of John formed with the Middle English suffix -y, derived from Middle French -ie, which comes from Latin -ia, ultimately tracing through Latin -ivus and -ia back to Proto-Indo-European -kos.

Johnny (English): A jack; A Confederate soldier; nickname used by...

Definitions

  1. A jack; A Confederate soldier; nickname used by...

Ancestry of “Johnny”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishJohnA new recruit at Royal Military Academy...
2Middle EnglishJohn—
3Anglo-NormanJehanJohn
4LatinIōhannēs—
5LatinIōannēs—
6Ancient GreekἸωάννης—
7HebrewיוחנןYahweh is gracious
8Hebrewחנוןgracious, merciful, compassionate; passive...
9Moroccan Arabicخنونة—
10Arabicخُنَّة—

Words derived from “Johnny”

  • Johnny-jump-up
Every word from Arabic خُنَّة →