Johannes
Johannes is a
Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as "
John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and
Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, ''
Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name ''
Yehochanan'', meaning "
YHWH is gracious". The name became popular in Northern Europe, especially in Germany because of
Christianity. Common German variants for Johannes are ''
Johann'', ''Hannes'', ''
Hans'' (diminutized to ''Hänschen'' or ''Hänsel'', as known from "''
Hansel and Gretel''", a fairy tale by the
Grimm brothers), ''
Jens'' (from Danish) and ''
Jan'' (from Dutch, and found in many countries). In the Netherlands, Johannes was without interruption the most common masculine birth name until 1989. Johannes is also a popular name in
South Africa, particularly among
Afrikaners, due to Dutch colonial influences in the region. The English equivalent for Johannes is
John.
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