boy's name
Jonas
JOH-nus
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 42,611
the United States
#599
2025 births
Jonas means dove, and the prophet's story turns on it — a man named for the bird sent out to find land is himself sent overseas, refuses, and is carried there inside a fish instead.
- Jonas is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2008, when 1,256 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 6,965 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Jonas over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 258 |
| 1890s | 196 |
| 1900s | 238 |
| 1910s | 634 |
| 1920s | 744 |
| 1930s | 563 |
| 1940s | 569 |
| 1950s | 621 |
| 1960s | 760 |
| 1970s | 1,875 |
| 1980s | 2,389 |
| 1990s | 2,717 |
| 2000s | 7,280 |
| 2010s | 6,467 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,277 |
What Jonas means
Jonas means a dove. The Hebrew names the bird directly, so any sense of peace or messenger belongs to the creature rather than describing the person.
Where Jonas comes from
Jonas is the Greek and Latin form of the Hebrew Yonah, a dove — the bird Noah sends from the ark to find land. The prophet Jonah is sent to Nineveh, refuses, sails the other way and is swallowed by a great fish, which the text does not call a whale. The book is unusual in the Hebrew Bible for ending on a question and for making its foreign city sympathetic rather than condemned.
Jonas in use
Jonas peaked in the United States in 2008, when 1,256 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 250th in France on 220 births — its strongest market — then 492nd in Ireland on 7, 599th in the United States on 476, 720th in England and Wales on 49 and 799th in Scotland on 3, across 42,611 lifetime births in six of the seven markets we track.
How popular is Jonas?
In 2025, Jonas was given to 476 babies in the United States, ranking #599 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Jonas 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 Jonas
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Jonas also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jonas over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Jonas 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 Jonas
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Jonas — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Jonas
What does the name Jonas mean?
A dove — the Hebrew Yonah.
Was it a whale?
The text says a great fish. Whale is a later reading.
Is Jonah the same name?
Yes — Jonas is the Greek and Latin form.
Where is Jonas strongest?
France at 250th, ahead of the United States at 599th.
How popular is the name Jonas?
In 2025, Jonas was given to 476 babies in the United States, ranking #599 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Jonas a girl's or a boy's name?
Jonas is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Jonas?
Jonas has 2 syllables.
When was Jonas most popular?
Jonas peaked in 2008, when 1,256 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Jonas a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jonas currently ranks #250 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.