Juan

How to say it

/hwɑn/

What it means

Spanish form of John, from Hebrew Yochanan ('Yahweh is gracious'). The dominant masculine name across Spanish-speaking countries for much of the 20th century.

Juan is the Spanish form of John, ultimately from the Hebrew Yochanan ('Yahweh is gracious'). The Spanish J is pronounced as an aspirated H, giving the name its distinctive single-syllable sound (hwahn). Saint John (Spanish San Juan) is the patron of many Latino communities, and Juan has been a top masculine name in Spanish-speaking countries for centuries. Don Juan (the legendary seducer) and Don Juan Carlos (the former Spanish king) give the name two very different cultural footings. In the US Juan has been a top-200 name since the 1970s. Compound names like Juan Carlos and Juan Pablo are their own Spanish naming tradition.

Heads-up notes

• Pop culture

  Don Juan (the legendary seducer of Spanish and Italian literature) is one anchor; San Juan (the saint and the Puerto Rican capital) is the other.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

• Juan Carlos I of Spain King of Spain 1975-2014, presided over Spain's transition to democracy
• Don Juan Legendary Spanish seducer, in Tirso de Molina's 1630 play and Mozart's Don Giovanni
• Juan Pablo Montoya Colombian racing driver, Formula One and IndyCar champion

Spelling variants

• John
• João
• Giovanni

Names with the same feeling

• Jose He will add
• Carlos Free man
• Miguel Who is like God?
• Santiago Saint James
• Antonio From the Roman Antonii family

See Juan from another angle