boy's name
Younes
YOO-ness
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 23,362
France
#118
2025 births
Younes is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "dove," the Arabic form of Jonah, who is named in the Quran and given a sura of his own. It ranks 118th in France and is stable in our data.
- Younes is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in France in 2014, when 980 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 1,156 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1951.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Younes over time
Births per decade in France, 1950s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 10 |
| 1960s | 50 |
| 1970s | 275 |
| 1980s | 1,100 |
| 1990s | 2,125 |
| 2000s | 5,115 |
| 2010s | 8,735 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,850 |
What Younes means
Younes means dove, inherited from the Hebrew Yonah. The bird carries its own weight in the tradition — the dove that returns to Noah with an olive leaf is the same word — so the name reads as a sign of returning rather than simply as a bird.
Where Younes comes from
Younes is a French spelling of the Arabic Yunus, from the Hebrew Yonah, a dove. Yunus is named in the Quran, which devotes sura 10 to him and calls him Dhul-Nun, the one of the fish; the story of the prophet swallowed and delivered is shared with the Hebrew Bible, where Jonah is sent to Nineveh, flees, and is returned. The reluctance is the point of the story in both traditions. French registers hold Younes, Younès, Yunus and Younas as separate spellings, which spreads the total across several entries — a recurring feature of Arabic names in a Latin alphabet. The Greek form Ionas gave the English Jonah and the surname Jones, which comes from John rather than Jonah despite the resemblance.
Younes in use
Younes ranks 118th in France with about 590 births in 2025 and is stable in our data with a peak in 2014. Our records carry it from 1951, which is early for an Arabic name in our French series. It holds 667th in England and Wales, so it has more British reach than most names in this group, and 2,140th in the United States.
How popular is Younes?
In 2025, Younes was given to 510 babies in France, ranking #118 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Younes is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Younes is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Younès | Younès is Younes written with a grave accent, used in France, where it ranks #570. | 2,260 |
| Younés | Younés is a rare spelling of Younes, written with an acute accent and recorded about 170 times, mostly in France. | 170 |
Names that peaked alongside Younes
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Younes also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Younes over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Younes 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 Younes
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Younes — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Younes
What does the name Younes mean?
Younes means "dove," inherited from the Hebrew Yonah through Arabic.
Is Younes the Arabic for Jonah?
Yes. Yunus is named in the Quran, which devotes sura 10 to him.
Why are there so many spellings?
Arabic names entering a Latin alphabet get rendered several ways, and French registers count each spelling separately.
How popular is Younes?
118th in France and 667th in England and Wales.
Is Younes a girl's or a boy's name?
Younes is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Younes?
Younes has 1 syllable.
Is Younes a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Younes currently ranks #118 in France. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.