Show ContentsJohannes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Like many surnames, the name Johannes 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 Johannes family

The surname Johannes was first found in Germany, where the name Johannes 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 Johannes family

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

Johannes Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Johannes family

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

Johannes Ranking

In the United States, the name Johannes is the 11,516th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in South Africa, the name Johannes is ranked the 694th most popular surname with an estimated 9,740 people with that name. 2


United States Johannes migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Johannes Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Evan Johannes, who arrived in Virginia in 1659 3
Johannes Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johan Johannes, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1728 aboard the ship "Mortonhouse John Coultas" 3
  • Samuel Johannes, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 3
Johannes Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Krishna Johannes, aged 30, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1842 3
  • Johann Michael Johannes, aged 24, who arrived in Galveston, Tex in 1845 aboard the ship "Garonne" 3
  • Ferd Johannes, who landed in America in 1848 3
  • Johann Heinrich Johannes, who landed in America in 1851 3
  • Jurgen Johannes, who landed in America in 1851 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Johannes migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Johannes Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • John Johannes, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Almorah" on April 1817, settling in New South Wales, Australia 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Johannes (post 1700) +

  • W. J. Johannes, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Iowa State House of Representatives from Osceola County, 1950; Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Iowa, 1952 5
  • Harry C. Johannes, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 1964 5
  • Anna Johannes, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Onondaga County 3rd District, 1934, 1935 5
  • Markus Johannes Jooste (1961-2024), South African businessman and the CEO of Steinhoff International
  • Cornelis Johannes van Houten (1920-2002), Dutch astronomer
  • Coenraad Johannes van Houten (1801-1887), Dutch chemist and chocolate maker, known for the treatment of cocoa mass with alkaline salts to remove the bitter taste and make cocoa solids more water-soluble, now known as the "Dutch process chocolate"
  • Pedrie Johannes Wannenburg (1981-2022), South African rugby union player and coach for Austin Elite Rugby in North American Major League Rugby
  • Paavo Johannes Heininen (1938-2022), Finnish composer and pianist, born in Helsinki
  • Karl Johannes Germer (1885-1962), also known as Frater Saturnus, a German occultist and the United States, Outer Head of the Order (OHO) of Ordo Templi Orientis from 1947 until his death in 1962
  • Kauko Johannes Juhantalo (1942-2020), Finnish politician, Member of Parliament for Satakunta (2015-2019)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
  3. 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)
  4. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Almorah voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1817 with 180 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/almorah/1817
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook