Show ContentsJohann History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Like many surnames, the name Johann is taken from a personal name common in the era when surnames began to be used. Johannes is the Germanic form of John, which comes from the Hebrew name "Yochanan," meaning "Jehovah has favored me with a son" and which became a very popular personal name in Europe because of two saints by the name, Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist.

Early Origins of the Johann family

The surname Johann was first found in Germany, where the name Johann came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. It later became more prominent as numerous branches of the same house acquired distant estates, some of which were located in other countries. Through the acquisition of these estates as well as their important contributions to society, the family successfully elevated their social status.

Early History of the Johann family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Johann research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1763 and 1844 are included under the topic Early Johann History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Johann Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Johan, Johanns, Johannes, Johanes, Johann and others.

Early Notables of the Johann family

More information is included under the topic Early Johann Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Johann migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Johann Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Philipp Johann, who landed in Brazil in 1846 1
  • Peter Johann, who arrived in North America in 1857 1
  • Johann Johann, who arrived in North America in 1859 1
  • Friedrich Johann, who landed in Brazil in 1864 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Johann (post 1700) +

  • Egon Johann Franke (1935-2022), Polish gold medalist fencer in the individual foil at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo
  • Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern (1932-2016), German prince, and through his marriage to Princess Birgitta of Sweden, was brother-in-law of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
  • Jakob Johann Laub (1884-1962), Austria-Hungary born physicist who is best known for his work with Albert Einstein in the early period of special relativity
  • Karl Johann Kiessling (1839-1905), German physicist, mathematician, and botanist
  • Florian Johann Deller (1729-1773), Austrian composer and violinist
  • Karl Johann Freudenberg ForMemRS (1886-1983), German chemist, grandson of Carl Johann Freudenberg
  • Carl Johann Freudenberg, German founder of The Freudenberg Group, a family-owned diversified group of companies in 1849
  • Otto Johann Drescher (1895-1944), German Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
  • Carl Johann Steinhäuser (1813-1879), German sculptor in the classical style
  • Ernst Johann Rupp (1892-1943), highly decorated German Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II

USS Arizona
  • Mr. Paul Frederick Johann, American Gunner's Mate Third Class from Iowa, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 2


Suggested Readings for the name Johann +

  • Minnie Johannis (also Johann) and Some of His Descendants by Alice Minnerly Runyon.

  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  2. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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