Jonah is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Jonah means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Jonah across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Jonah has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Jonah is a boy name of Hebrew origin meaning “dove”. the prophet swallowed by a great fish.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 86,075 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 7,211 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 398 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 760 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 583 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Jonah per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2008 (2,998/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2022 (428/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2021 (77/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2018 (45/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2022 (38/yr).
Jonah has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2008, when it ranked #250 nationally (given to 3,220 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2000s.
Joan · Johnny · Joanne · Jon · Joanna · Joni · Johnie · Jana
Not sure if it's the one? The best way to know is to see if your partner loves it too. Swipe baby names with your partner and match on the ones you both ❤️, free, no account needed to start.
Find your name together →