Jonah
From the Hebrew Yonah, meaning dove. The prophet of that name is swallowed by a great fish in the book bearing his name.
Jonah in 2025
Jonah was given to 2,867 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 222nd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 1,156 babies born.
The history of Jonah
Jonah reached its highest point in 2008, when 2,998 babies were given the name, ranking 250th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 211th, in 2023.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 86,075 babies have been named Jonah. Half of them were born before 2010, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Z.
Jonah by decade
| Decade | Babies named Jonah | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 79 | 997 |
| 1890s | 65 | 1,606 |
| 1900s | 71 | 1,582 |
| 1910s | 222 | 1,777 |
| 1920s | 329 | 2,037 |
| 1930s | 252 | 2,196 |
| 1940s | 249 | 2,546 |
| 1950s | 298 | 2,601 |
| 1960s | 309 | 2,940 |
| 1970s | 1,789 | 893 |
| 1980s | 2,941 | 901 |
| 1990s | 10,199 | 380 |
| 2000s | 23,882 | 250 |
| 2010s | 28,290 | 238 |
| 2020s | 17,100 | 211 |
Where Jonah is heading
Jonah has held roughly steady over the past decade, from 2,937 babies in 2015 to 2,867 in 2025.
Names like Jonah
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Jonah.