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How many st john’s are there: complete, definitive guide (7 key facts)

147 10 minutos de lectura
how many st john\'s are there

how many st john’s are there

If you have ever typed “how many st john’s are there” into a search bar, you are not alone. It is a surprisingly common question with a surprisingly complicated answer. That is because “St John’s” can refer to cities, towns, villages, islands, churches, schools, hospitals, charities, and even historic orders of chivalry—spread across dozens of countries and in multiple languages. In short, the answer depends on what, exactly, you mean by “St John’s”.

In this guide, we unpack the different meanings behind the question how many st john’s are there, explain the reasons for the sheer number of places and institutions with this name, and show practical ways to find the specific figure you need—whether you are dealing with places on a map, church dedications, or well-known organisations like St John Ambulance. We will also clear up common confusions, such as the difference between St. John’s (with an apostrophe), St Johns (without), Saint John (spelled out), and versions in other languages such as San Juan and São João.

What does “how many st john’s are there” actually mean?

Before we can sensibly answer how many st john’s are there, we need to pin down the subject. “St John’s” appears in at least five broad categories:

  • Populated places: cities, towns, suburbs, districts, and villages.
  • Geographical features: islands, bays, rivers, mountains, and parishes.
  • Religious buildings and institutions: churches, cathedrals, abbeys, parishes, dioceses, and monasteries dedicated to Saint John (usually John the Baptist or John the Evangelist).
  • Educational and medical institutions: schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, and hospices.
  • Orders and charities: notably the Order of St John and St John Ambulance.

Each of these categories can produce a different total, so how many st john’s are there is best answered by specifying which set you are interested in. For example, there are at least two capital cities commonly called “St John’s”, but there are thousands of church buildings dedicated to a Saint John around the world.

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Quick orientation: the “famous” St John’s you are likely to mean

When people ask how many st john’s are there, they often have “the famous ones” in mind. Here are three that frequently cause confusion:

These three are a good example of why the precise spelling matters. If you are counting capitals called “St John’s”, you may say “two”. If you are counting major North American cities with a “St John” name in any form, you could say “three”. If your question is how many st john’s are there in the narrower sense of “big, well-known cities”, the answer most people accept is “two”—the capitals of Newfoundland and Labrador and Antigua and Barbuda.

Why the question “how many st john’s are there” gets tricky

There are several reasons why how many st john’s are there is not as straightforward as it seems:

  • Multiple saints called John: Most dedications refer either to John the Baptist or John the Evangelist (the Apostle). Some are simply “St John’s” without specifying which John, especially in parishes where the dedication is long established.
  • Language variations: “Saint John” appears in many languages, such as San Juan (Spanish), São João (Portuguese), Saint-Jean (French), Sankt Johann (German), and San Giovanni (Italian). These can be direct equivalents of “St John’s” and greatly expand the total count.
  • Spelling and punctuation: St. John’s (with apostrophe and full stop), St Johns (no apostrophe), and Saint John (spelled out, no apostrophe) can name entirely different places.
  • Administrative nuance: Some “St John’s” are neighbourhoods or suburbs rather than separate towns; others are historic parishes that no longer function as standalone local authorities.
  • Constant change: Churches merge or close; schools rebrand; new clinics open; charities update their names. Any count is a moving target.

Counting places called St John’s (and close variants)

If we focus on populated places, how many st john’s are there depends on how broad your net is:

Strictly “St John’s” (with apostrophe)

By the strict English spelling “St John’s”, there are relatively few major settlements. The two best known are the capitals mentioned above. Beyond those, “St John’s” appears as the official name of smaller communities and localities in several countries, but the exact number is modest—dozens rather than hundreds—if you restrict yourself to English-language official names that include the apostrophe.

“St Johns” (no apostrophe) and “Saint John”

Relax the spelling to “St Johns” (no apostrophe) or “Saint John”, and the count increases significantly. Examples include St Johns (a suburb of Auckland), St Johns in South Africa (localities and schools), and Saint John in the Caribbean and North America (e.g., the U.S. Virgin Islands’ island of Saint John and the Canadian city of Saint John, New Brunswick). Including these variants, how many st john’s are there—meaning places recognisably named for Saint John—easily climbs into the hundreds worldwide.

International equivalents of St John

  • San Juan (Spanish): found across Spain, Latin America, and the Caribbean (for example San Juan, Puerto Rico).
  • São João (Portuguese): frequent across Portugal and Brazil.
  • Saint-Jean (French): found in France, Canada, and elsewhere.
  • Sankt Johann (German): found in Austria and Germany.
  • San Giovanni (Italian): found across Italy and in historical contexts elsewhere.

Include language equivalents and the answer to how many st john’s are there changes dramatically; it is safer to say “thousands of place names worldwide refer to Saint John in some form”.

Islands, parishes, districts, and other geography

Outside cities and towns, “St John” names many geographic features. Notable examples:

  • Saint John (U.S. Virgin Islands): a major island in the Caribbean, part of the United States territory.
  • Parishes titled Saint John or St John’s in countries that use parish divisions (for example, several Caribbean states and some historic English counties).
  • Districts and suburbs such as St John’s Wood in London, St John’s in Worcester, and St John’s in Wakefield, among others.

If you redefine how many st john’s are there to include parishes, districts, and islands, your total will rise again. The exact figure depends on which administrative levels you include and which language variants you accept.

Churches and cathedrals: where the numbers multiply

For church buildings and parishes, how many st john’s are there becomes “very many indeed”. Across the Anglican Communion, Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Churches, and other Christian communities, dedications to John the Baptist and John the Apostle are widespread. Thousands of churches bear the name “St John’s” or a direct equivalent in local languages.

John the Baptist vs John the Evangelist

If you look closely, you will notice many churches say “St John the Baptist” or “St John the Evangelist” in full. Others simply go by “St John’s”, especially in older English parishes. The tradition of dedications varies between denominations—something you can explore more in depth in this overview of Orthodox vs Catholic traditions.

Why there are so many “St John’s” churches

  • Historical popularity of the saints: John the Baptist and John the Evangelist are among the most venerated saints in Christianity.
  • Local patronage: Towns often chose a saint as a patron, leading to churches and parishes adopting the name.
  • Expansion of Christianity: As Christianity spread among Gentile populations, so did dedications to popular saints; see more on the meaning of Gentiles for historical context.

Given these factors, it is not unusual to find multiple “St John’s” churches within the same region, especially in Europe.

Colleges, schools, hospitals, and charities named St John’s

Education and health care add further layers to the question how many st john’s are there. To name only a few notable institutions:

  • St John’s College, Oxford, and St John’s College, Cambridge: two of the best-known colleges in the United Kingdom.
  • St. John’s University (New York): a major American university with Catholic heritage.
  • St John’s Medical College (Bengaluru, India): a prominent medical institution.
  • St John’s hospitals and hospices: numerous facilities worldwide use the name, especially where a local church, order, or benefactor is behind their establishment.


Add these to the tally and how many st john’s are there grows again—difficult to pin down precisely without narrowing the scope to a country or sector.

The Order of St John and St John Ambulance

Beyond buildings and places, “St John’s” is strongly associated with a living tradition of care and first aid. The modern Order of St John (official site) maintains the legacy of a medieval charitable order, and its service arm in many countries is St John Ambulance, one of the best-known first-aid and community support organisations. For practical information about volunteer training, event cover, and first-aid education in the UK, see the St John Ambulance UK site.

In terms of how many st john’s are there, counting national St John Ambulance organisations and their local divisions adds yet another dimension—again changing depending on how you define a separate “St John’s” entity (national charity vs. local branch).

How to get a useful number: a practical method

Because the question how many st john’s are there can be ambiguous, the best approach is to decide on your criteria first, then count. Here is a simple method you can adapt:

  1. Define your category narrowly: places, churches, schools, hospitals, charities, or a single country/region.
  2. Choose the spelling rules: include only “St John’s” in English, or also “St Johns”, “Saint John”, and equivalents like “San Juan” and “São João”.
  3. Pick trustworthy sources for your scope: national gazetteers or mapping databases for places; diocesan directories for churches; government or regulator lists for schools and hospitals; official charity registers for organisations.
  4. Record your inclusion rules: For example, “include villages and suburbs”, “exclude historic parishes that no longer exist”, or “include only higher-education institutions”.
  5. Document your results and date them: The situation changes over time, so note when you compiled your count.

If you only care about cities with the exact name “St John’s”, your answer may be as succinct as “two well-known capitals”. If you want to know how many st john’s are there as a general count across languages, your best honest answer is “thousands”, with a note explaining your reasoning.

Common mistakes when asking “how many st john’s are there”

  • Confusing “St. John’s” with “Saint John”: St. John’s (Newfoundland and Labrador) is not the same as Saint John (New Brunswick). The apostrophe and letter “s” matter.
  • Mixing up the saint: John the Baptist and John the Evangelist are distinct. Some dedications do not specify which.
  • Ignoring language equivalents: Limiting a count to English names will understate the real global picture.
  • Assuming one parish equals one church building: In many places, a single parish may cover multiple worship sites, or a building may serve more than one community.
  • Using outdated lists: Institutions close, merge, or rebrand; always check the latest official sources.

Examples that illustrate different answers

If you mean “major cities called St John’s”

Most people would answer “two”: St. John’s in Newfoundland and Labrador, and St. John’s in Antigua and Barbuda. In this sense, how many st john’s are there has a simple, widely understood answer.

If you mean “all populated places named for Saint John in English”

Include St John’s, St Johns, Saint John, and you will quickly reach hundreds of entries worldwide when you add villages, suburbs, and districts.

If you mean “all global equivalents”

Incorporate San Juan, São João, Saint-Jean, Sankt Johann, San Giovanni, and so on, and how many st john’s are there becomes “thousands”, across multiple continents and languages.

If you mean “churches dedicated to St John”

Across Christian traditions, the total is unquestionably in the thousands. A national-level count (for example, within England) will already run into the hundreds. Internationally, the number grows rapidly.

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Frequently asked questions about how many st john’s are there

Why do so many places and churches share the name “St John’s”?

Two saints called John—John the Baptist and John the Evangelist—are central figures in Christian tradition, which spread globally. As communities adopted patron saints, dedications to these Johns became extremely common. Over centuries, that translated into place names, church names, and institutional names. This is the main reason why, when we ask how many st john’s are there, the answer can be “a great many” in almost any country with Christian heritage.

Is “St. John’s” the same as “Saint John”?

No. “St. John’s” typically includes an apostrophe and often refers to a specific place (for example, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador). “Saint John” is written out without an apostrophe and may refer to different places (for example, Saint John, New Brunswick) or to the saints themselves. The spellings indicate distinct names, so how many st john’s are there will differ depending on which spellings you include.

Which two capitals are called “St John’s”?

St. John’s in Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada) and St. John’s in Antigua and Barbuda. If your question is how many st john’s are there at capital-city level, the usual answer is “two”.

Does “St John’s” always refer to John the Baptist?

Not always. It can refer to John the Evangelist (the Apostle) or to John the Baptist. Many institutions shorten the dedication to “St John’s” without specifying which saint, especially in colloquial usage. This ambiguity is one reason why how many st john’s are there is difficult to answer precisely for churches unless you read the full dedication.

How can I get a precise number for my area?

Define your scope (e.g., “parishes named St John’s within X county” or “schools named St John’s in Y country”), decide which spellings you will accept, then consult official registries or authoritative directories. For places, a national gazetteer or mapping database helps; for churches, diocesan lists are best; for charities, use the national charity regulator. Once you set your criteria, counting how many st john’s are

147 10 minutos de lectura
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