Meaning and background
The story behind Johnson
Johnson has a clear patronymic explanation in the surname reference: son of John. Behind the Name treats it as a family-name formation and separately identifies historical bearers, including American presidents. The relationship element is therefore documented rather than inferred from a modern nickname. When chosen for a dog, Johnson can honour a family or a person named John while preserving its established surname form.
- Origin
- Patronymic surname meaning son of John. Source
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Everyday moments“Johnson, come here!”
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About Johnson
Recorded as a dog’s name
Johnson appears in 29 dog licence records in the 2022 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/dʒɑnsən/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/dʒɑnsən/ · primary stress on syllable 1JH AA1 N S AH0 N
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
Gender association: NYC licence-period records. Any dog can use this name.
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.