Jonah Name Meaning

The name Jonah is derived from the Hebrew word “Yonah” which means “dove”. It’s thought that the name is a reference to the prophet’s peaceful and gentle nature, as well as the fact that he was spared from the fish’s belly.

Origins of the Name Jonah

The name Jonah is most famously linked to the Bible story of the prophet who was swallowed by a whale. The Book of Jonah tells the tale of a man who was sent by God to preach to the city of Nineveh, but tried to flee and ended up in the belly of a great fish. After being swallowed, he prayed to God for deliverance, and was then vomited back onto dry land.

Popularity of the Name Jonah

The name Jonah has been in use since the Middle Ages, with its popularity growing steadily over the centuries. In the United States, it’s been in the top 100 names since the 1970s, and it’s currently ranked in the top 10. The name is popular around the world, with variations such as Jon, Yonah, Yonas, and Jona appearing in many languages.

Final Thoughts on the Name Jonah

Well, there you have it: the history, origin, meaning, and popularity of the name Jonah. It’s a timeless name with a powerful story behind it, and it’s no surprise that it remains a popular choice for parents today.

Infographic of Jonah name meaning, which is Meaning dove, Jonah is a Biblical name of Hebrew origins.
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Jonah Name Popularity

How popular is the name Jonah? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 0 0%
1911 0 0%
1912 0 0%
1913 0 0%
1914 1,291 5 0.0007%
1915 997 14 0.0015%
1916 977 14 0.0014%
1917 1,231 7 0.0007%
1918 1,319 6 0.0006%
1919 0 0%
1920 989 19 0.0017%
1921 1,263 9 0.0008%
1922 1,100 14 0.0013%
1923 0 0%
1924 1,263 10 0.0009%
1925 1,450 6 0.0005%
1926 1,419 6 0.0005%
1927 1,164 12 0.0011%
1928 0 0%
1929 1,152 11 0.0011%
1930 0 0%
1931 1,382 6 0.0006%
1932 0 0%
1933 1,251 6 0.0006%
1934 1,441 5 0.0005%
1935 0 0%
1936 1,418 5 0.0005%
1937 0 0%
1938 0 0%
1939 0 0%
1940 1,304 6 0.0006%
1941 0 0%
1942 1,482 5 0.0004%
1943 1,029 14 0.0011%
1944 0 0%
1945 0 0%
1946 1,373 5 0.0003%
1947 1,373 6 0.0004%
1948 0 0%
1949 0 0%
1950 0 0%
1951 1,290 7 0.0004%
1952 1,296 8 0.0005%
1953 1,153 12 0.0007%
1954 0 0%
1955 1,097 16 0.0009%
1956 0 0%
1957 0 0%
1958 1,547 5 0.0003%
1959 0 0%
1960 0 0%
1961 0 0%
1962 0 0%
1963 0 0%
1964 1,559 5 0.0003%
1965 1,282 9 0.0006%
1966 0 0%
1967 1,406 6 0.0004%
1968 1,302 10 0.0007%
1969 1,109 17 0.0011%
1970 996 29 0.0018%
1971 688 96 0.0064%
1972 691 90 0.0066%
1973 738 72 0.0056%
1974 694 90 0.0069%
1975 748 73 0.0057%
1976 632 119 0.0092%
1977 573 165 0.0122%
1978 728 89 0.0066%
1979 400 359 0.0255%
1980 430 324 0.0222%
1981 422 345 0.0235%
1982 510 232 0.0155%
1983 521 209 0.0142%
1984 539 208 0.014%
1985 528 226 0.0149%
1986 591 179 0.0119%
1987 551 225 0.0147%
1988 629 176 0.0113%
1989 610 214 0.0133%
1990 675 178 0.0107%
1991 659 188 0.0115%
1992 700 170 0.0107%
1993 464 415 0.0266%
1994 245 1,164 0.0758%
1995 215 1,355 0.0899%
1996 196 1,560 0.1042%
1997 196 1,605 0.1085%
1998 216 1,454 0.0971%
1999 197 1,697 0.1133%
2000 192 1,819 0.1191%
2001 186 1,974 0.131%
2002 166 2,302 0.1536%
2003 164 2,431 0.1598%
2004 177 2,290 0.1502%
2005 183 2,210 0.1445%
2006 170 2,401 0.1533%
2007 164 2,505 0.1588%
2008 136 2,969 0.1921%
2009 147 2,712 0.1814%
2010 143 2,773 0.1924%
2011 143 2,857 0.2005%
2012 128 2,948 0.2069%
2013 132 2,891 0.2031%
2014 138 2,895 0.1987%
2015 143 2,897 0.1991%
2016 150 2,756 0.1911%
2017 154 2,494 0.1787%
2018 145 2,692 0.1959%
2019 141 2,653 0.196%
2020 128 2,730 0.2145%
2021 137 2,704 0.2212%
2022 135 2,724 0.2065%

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Data via SSA.gov.


Names Like Jonah

If you like Jonah, you’ll love these other names like Jonah.


What names are variants of Jonah?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Jonah.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Jonas

Dove

Hebrew

Jonasco

Dove

Hebrew


What names sound like Jonah?

If you like how Jonah sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Jonah.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Jon

God is gracious

English

Jona

God is gracious

Hebrew

Jonn

English

Jonny

English


Lists With Jonah

Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Jonah.


Siblings of Jonah

Mamas with kids named Jonah also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Ezra

Help

Hebrew

Nicolas

Victory of the people

Greek

Avalyn

Beautiful Bird

English

Zachariah

The Lord recalled

Hebrew

Gabriel

God is my strength

Hebrew

22 Comments

  1. My husband and I chose the name “Jonah” because of its Biblical reference, which has to do with water, just like our first son’s name “Noah,” and for us it’s also just got a nice ring to it.

  2. Full name jonah Hamza chosen for its strong biblical meaning and Hamza meaning lion.

  3. My husband picked the name after listening to a sermon at church from the book of Jonah when we were dating (11 years ago!).

  4. I chose the name Jonah because I had been reading the story weeks prior and loved how the lord was so merciful to him and how Jonah really showed the human side of human nature . It was raw and real and spoke to me . That’s all 🙂

  5. i like the name Jonah because its a cute boys name and i personally like it its really cute and such a badass name for a boy

  6. I like the name Jonah because I think it?s an amazing boy name it? a perfect name you know.

    • I meant to type it?s

  7. My husband and I were really stuck on a name!! We wanted him to share the same nickname as my husband (Joey) but didn’t want that to be his name. We made a list of names that started with “Jo” and Jonah was the only one that stood out to me. We didn’t love it at first, and actually had other names we took to the hospital with us where we’d make our final decision. After he was born, we still didn’t feel too strongly about any name… but then we realized Jonah was also a beautiful mix of both of our names: Jenna and Josiah. Once we realized that we knew there was no better fitted name for our little guy.

  8. I loved this name, because of Jonah the prophet. Jonah is silly and fun, and human! God still chooses Jonah to tell the people, even though Jonah was a goofy guy. I want my son to be fun and joke around and still listen to god, just like Jonah. We chose the middle name Lewis, which was our second choice! The name Jonah Lewis sounds so handsome! My husband joked around about the middle name Vark, (Jonah-Vark) but a vetoed that pretty quickly.

  9. We chose Jonah because we could already tell he was going to be stubborn! Just like how Jonah in the Bible didn’t want to go to Nineveh like God commanded. We chose his middle name to be Micah. His name meaning is messenger of God.

  10. I wanted a biblical name that wasn’t super popular and it was something me and my partner agreed on.

  11. He was born early- very early. But God protected him just like he protected Jonah if the Bible!!

  12. I have twins one named jonah and one named jayden

  13. Loved this name as it wasn’t a popular name but still common and not unheard of.

  14. I chose jonah because its out of the bible & i wanted him to have a biblical name

  15. Jonah is the little boys name is Sleepless in Seattle and I’ve always loved it. After having 6 boy names picked and a looooong labor, my hubby told me to pick. Jonah Austin (Austin is my husbands grandpa’s name) is the name and fits our extremely happy and chill babe??

  16. We liked Jonah as a girl name for something a little different. And, my after my aunt who was called JoJo.

  17. We like Hebrew boys names and this one goes well with the other sibling names.

  18. We paired it with a family name so it’s Jonah Ryan.
    We felt like the name was a strong named that reminded us of strength. That is what it took to get through this very tough pregnancy and what it took for baby Jonah to come into the world during a home birth!

  19. We love the soft sound and the book of Jonah from the Bible.

  20. Honestly we spent days reading off of names and finally found love with that one

  21. First name was a name of a great man in the Bible. And the meaning was something to be sought after. Jonah means peacemaker and he is truly a peacemaker even at 4 years old! His middle name is after his father. An amazing God fearing man. Also, the meaning is strong and godly.


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