boy's name
Jon
JON
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 3
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 173,475
the United States
#951
2025 births
Jon is a boy's name meaning God is gracious, and it is both an English shortening of Jonathan and the standard Scandinavian and Catalan form of John — two routes to the same three letters.
- Jon is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 1964, when 4,941 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 13,477 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1898.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Jon over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1890s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 5 |
| 1900s | 5 |
| 1910s | 191 |
| 1920s | 563 |
| 1930s | 6,438 |
| 1940s | 19,271 |
| 1950s | 29,154 |
| 1960s | 45,167 |
| 1970s | 28,895 |
| 1980s | 17,858 |
| 1990s | 10,403 |
| 2000s | 6,265 |
| 2010s | 3,582 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,594 |
What Jon means
Jon means God is gracious if taken from John, or God has given if taken from Jonathan. The two Hebrew names share a divine element but differ in the verb.
Where Jon comes from
Jon arrives twice. In Norwegian, Icelandic and Catalan it is the ordinary form of John, from the Hebrew Yochanan — God is gracious. In English it is usually a shortening of Jonathan, which is a different Hebrew name, Yehonatan, God has given — the friend of David in the Book of Samuel whose bond with him is one of the most discussed relationships in the Hebrew Bible. So an English Jon and a Norwegian Jon may not carry the same name at all, though both begin with a form of the divine name.
Jon in use
Jon peaked in the United States in 1964, when 4,941 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 951st in the United States on 246 births, 1852nd in England and Wales on 14 and 2908th in France, across 173,475 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. Our records carry it from 1898.
How popular is Jon?
In 2025, Jon was given to 246 babies in the United States, ranking #951 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Jon is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Jon
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Jon also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jon over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Jon in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Jon
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Jon — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Jon
What does the name Jon mean?
God is gracious through John, or God has given through Jonathan — two different Hebrew names.
Is Jon short for Jonathan or John?
In English usually Jonathan; in Norwegian, Icelandic and Catalan it is the ordinary form of John.
Are John and Jonathan the same name?
No. Yochanan means God is gracious; Yehonatan means God has given.
How popular is Jon?
951st in the United States, down from a 1964 peak of 4,941 births.
Is Jon a girl's or a boy's name?
Jon is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Jon?
Jon has 1 syllable.
Is Jon a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jon currently ranks #951 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.